Built in 2016 on the occasion of Euro 2016 football, the Bordeaux stadium, the usual pregnant of the Girondins, does not reach balance. Alain Anziani, the president of Bordeaux Métropole, owner of the stadium, says he is “ready to sell”.
by Claire Mayer (Bordeaux, correspondent)
He was the “big stadium” of Alain Juppé, he is now a ball at the foot of the Metropolis of Bordeaux. Delivered in April 2015, the Matmut Atlantique stadium was erected to host Euro 2016 matches. The Chaban-Delmas stadium, built in 1924, was then too dilapidated. Built as part of a public-private partnership and operated by the company SBA (Stade Bordeaux Atlantique), a subsidiary of the manufacturers Vinci and Fayat, the new stadium, departing ownership of the city of Bordeaux, has belonged since 2017 to Bordeaux Métropole.
master of the place, it was therefore its president Alain Anziani (Socialist Party) who initiated, Tuesday, January 17, a meeting at the top – first of the genre – between all the actors concerned directly or indirectly by the Stade Bordelais: the town hall, SBA, its two shareholders Vinci and Fayat, the Girondins football club in Bordeaux (FCGB), which is the resident club of the stadium, and the Union Bordeaux-Bègles, top 14 rugby team brought to Play it occasionally. The objective of this exchange: to take stock of the difficult situation of this stage of 42,000 places which is struggling to fill up, with a club resident now in Ligue 2 and too rare cultural events.
Loïc Duroselle, president of SBA, nevertheless tries to reassure. To justify, also, this “unnecessary large stadium” for the mayor (Europe Ecologie-les Verts) of Bordeaux, Pierre Hurmic, elected in July 2020. At the time of the project, elected opposition, he had highly brought up Against the then mayor, Alain Juppé. In vain. But for the president of SBA, “we can really say that this stadium achieved the objectives set by the city at the start then the metropolis, that Bordeaux is a place of designation of these very major events, that it benefits the local economy , and like Bordeaux. “
” loss of more than 2 million euros “
In 2023, in fact, the stadium will host five games from the Rugby World Cup, FCGB meetings and five concerts. A record for infrastructure. But despite these high frequentation forecasts, “we cannot balance, we are in deficit of more than 2 million euros”, concedes Loïc Duroselle. Upstream of the lunch bringing together the actors of the Matmut, Alain Anziani, the shareholders and the stadium operator met to study a review of the contract. “The objective was to see how the contract can suit everyone. We have initiated a first negotiation to find a fair contract for them and the metropolis,” said Alain Anziani. While recalling:
You have 44.5% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.