Sheffield Wednesday bidder James Bord set to buy former French champions for €1
Former Sheffield Wednesday bidder and poker professional James Bord is set to acquire another fallen giant of European football after agreeing a deal to buy Girondins de Bordeaux.
Bord, whose Park Bench investment vehicle already owns Scottish second-tier side Dunfermline Athletic, is set to take control of Bordeaux from Gerard Lopez for the nominal sum of €1.
The Las Vegas-based Englishman, 45, and his business partner Evan Sofer had looked set to buy Sheffield Wednesday out of administration earlier this year but the deal collapsed.
They have since turned their attention to the six-time French champions who, like the Owls, have also tumbled down the leagues following severe financial difficulties.
Bordeaux, whose former players include Zinedine Zidane, Alain Giresse and Jean Tigana, were facing possible liquidation this summer after being consigned to the regional leagues over debts of around €26m.
Park Bench looked set to withdraw its interest after that blow but a compromise appears to have been found that involves Lopez renouncing half of the debt owed to him.
Regional French media outlet Sud Ouest reported that representatives of Lopez and Park Bench informed Bordeaux’s commercial court on Wednesday that a deal had been agreed.
James Bord: From banking to Bordeaux, via Tony Bloom
Bord has a background in sports betting, including working for Brighton and Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom’s Starlizard, and founded data analytics company Short Circuit Science.
Before that he was a banker at Citigroup but quit to become a professional poker player, winning more than $4m in high-profile events on the global circuit.
He invested in Spanish second-tier football club Cordoba in late 2024 and added Dunfermline to his portfolio in early 2025 before pursuing Sheffield Wednesday.
Park Bench was named preferred bidder by the Yorkshire club’s administrator, Begbies Traynor, but ultimately could not agree on a valuation to complete the deal.
That cleared the way for US businessman David Storch and Arise Capital to buy Sheffield Wednesday, who were relegated to the third tier at the end of last season.
Bordeaux are the most extreme case of the financial crisis that has engulfed French football in recent years, following a series of media rights problems, and forced its clubs to sell their best players overseas.