Public explanation
© Imago
Oliver Kahn does not become the new owner of the French fourth division club Girondin Bordeaux. The former Bayern goalkeeper applied in January with an investor group as the new owner of the deeply fallen top club and made a formal offer. Now Kahn is “after intensive discussions and considerations” from the investment plans, as he wrote on the LinkedIn platform.
“After examining the financial, operational and legal information that was finally made available to us at the end of last week, we decided not to invest the approximately 50 million euros that were intended in our plan to bring FCGB back to where it belongs – in Ligue 1.” Despite extensive preparations, this decision had now been made “with great disappointment”, the statement said.
In Bordeaux, the ex-CEO of FC Bayern would have had to do development work. Girondins now competes in the fourth -class National 2 after bankruptcy and forced relegation last summer. In the club, debt of more than 100 million euros recently exposed.
The glorious times of the French club are long ago in the famous wine -growing region. In 1996, FC Bayern-at that time with Kahn in the goal-won the final of the UEFA Cup against the six-time French champion. The Girondins team stood, among other things, the later world and European champions Zinédine Zidane and Bixente Lizarazu.
Kahn fundamentally interested in club investment
The 55-year-old Kahn had already signaled in summer to be interested in a club investment. “Investing in football is different than in a screw manufacturer. Football is about culture, identity, community. If everything fits together, I can imagine it very well,” the vice world champion from 2002 told the “kicker”.