Former Champions League club relegated TWICE in one summer after Premier League cult hero quit as manager
THE final indignity for a former Champions League club has been confirmed.
And for an ex-Liverpool winger, it bookmarks a brief spell as manager he will surely never come close to repeating – nor want to.
PABordeaux have a long, proud and successful history but are now suffering[/caption]
Bordeaux are one of France’s oldest and biggest clubs.
They’ve won the top-flight title six times and the French Cup on four occasions.
But now bankrupt Bordeaux have been relegated TWICE in a month – to the fourth tier.
Problems emerged last season, with the club ending up a comfortable 12th in the second-level Ligue 2 but needing £35million (40m euros) to balance the books.
Talks with Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group eventually broke down in mid-July.
Bankruptcy and demotion followed – initially to the third tier, National 1.
Bordeaux then went into receivership, as well as going part-time – technically reverting to amateur status after nine decades as professionals.
However, France’s federal financial watchdog, the National Directorate of Management Control, delivered another hammer-blow this month.
GettyEx-Bordeaux chief Albert Riera played for Liverpool from 2008-2010[/caption]
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The NDMC stepped in as regulations say clubs in receivership must be “demoted to the division immediately below the one for which it would have qualified for the following season”.
That means something that was unthinkable for Bordeaux just a year ago – slipping down to compete in National 2.
It also explains why a former Anfield cult hero, who played on loan for Manchester City, might be relieved to have terminated his contract as Bordeaux manager last month.
Albert Riera, 42, won 16 caps for Spain, also playing for Bordeaux, Galatasaray and Watford, amongst others.
The wideman, who could also slot in at left-back, arrived at Liverpool as an £8m deadline-day signing from Espanyol on September 1 2008.
But he was transfer-listed two years later after reportedly voicing his frustration to the Spanish media at his limited starts under Anfield boss Rafa Benitez.
And in the summer of the same year he departed for Olympiacos.
After quitting playing in 2018, he became assistant boss at Galatasaray before taking charge of Slovenian top-flight side Olimpija Ljubljana four years later.
Riera guided Olimpija to their first title in five seasons but, when there was no offer of a new contract, he moved to rivals Celje – only two days before the start of 2023-324.
Celje were challenging for the Slovenian crown – but after three months he left for Bordeaux.
But what seemed a major move became momentous misery – with a mid-table finish as the club declared bankruptcy and Riera leaving after just nine months.
Now he has gone back to Celje while Bordeaux have gone down – twice.
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