Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the owner of Liverpool Football Club, is exploring the possibility of acquiring Girondins de Bordeaux, a financially troubled French team. On July 9th, the American sports investment firm presented a proposal to secure a majority stake in Bordeaux, which is currently under the ownership of Luxembourgish-Spanish businessman Gérard López.
"Fenway Sports Group has expressed interest in the potential acquisition of French football club Girondins de Bordeaux and is in the early stages of dialogue and engagement," FSG stated. "While the process is at this exploratory phase, we will not be making any further comment."
Bordeaux has faced significant challenges over the past few years, including administration and relegation to Ligue 2 following the 2021/22 season. The club now faces further demotion to the third tier by the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG), the financial watchdog of French soccer, due to its failure to provide financial guarantees for the upcoming season.
Bordeaux is currently appealing this decision and has a two-week window to finalize a sale, potentially allowing them to remain in the second division for the 2024/25 season.
FSG's portfolio includes several high-profile sports entities such as Liverpool, Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins, NASCAR's RFK Racing, and TGL team Boston Common Golf. Earlier this year, the FSG-led Strategic Sports Group (SSG) committed an initial $1.5 billion investment in the newly launched PGA Tour Enterprises, with the potential to increase up to $3 billion.