Former German international goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has withdrawn from the Girondins de Bordeaux contract.

The decision, he said, was "carefully considered." Former German national team goalkeeper and Bayern Munich president Oliver Kahn announced on Monday, June 2, that he was giving up on taking over the Girondins de Bordeaux, three weeks after submitting a letter of intent to the city's commercial court last week .

In a message to supporters, relayed by Sud Ouest and copied to Agence France-Presse, Oliver Kahn explained that he no longer wishes to "commit the approximately 50 million euros provided for in [his] plan" after examining "the financial, operational, and legal information" he received. "It is therefore with great disappointment, despite extensive preparatory work and rigorous analysis," that he has decided to throw in the towel.

The 55-year-old former German international's interest in taking over the Girondins dates back to January, with a visit the following month to Bordeaux with his business partner, former Olympique de Marseille president Jacques-Henri Eyraud, where he met with the mayor, Pierre Hurmic, and the president of Bordeaux Métropole, Christine Bost.

On May 27, the Bordeaux Commercial Court examined the continuation plan put forward by club president Gérard Lopez, with repayment of creditors, grouped by class of affected parties (grouped by status, priority or not, and by common economic interest), who must vote to accept or reject the proposed sums. The next hearing before the court is scheduled for Friday, June 13.

This ten-year plan aims to reduce the debt from 94 million to 26 million euros, with different scenarios considered depending on possible promotions to higher divisions.

Under Mr. Lopez's leadership since 2021, the Girondins were relegated to Ligue 2, then placed themselves under the protection of the commercial court last summer, abandoning their professional status and training center, and dropping to National 2 ( ^4th division). This season, Bordeaux finished fourth in their group.