"This club is not dead, it has a soul", wants to believe this forty-year-old following in the footsteps of 2,000 other supporters who responded on Saturday, despite the holidays, despite the heat.

"It's our life, our passion. Seeing them die is impossible, it's too heartbreaking", abounds a little further Céline Tixeuil, a regular at the south turn and travel.

"Going down to Ligue 2, we didn't react on the spot, we were stuck, shot because it's not their place. But there the National is a blow. It's unfair and unimaginable" .

How to influence, how to put pressure to change things?

Since Tuesday and the confirmation of the demotion to National (3rd division) by the financial policeman of French football, the Girondin people have mobilized.

Mavuba, Baysse and others

In the streets of Bordeaux on Saturday, a long procession, singing and colored with smoke bombs, marched behind a banner "Save the FCGB!"

carried by elected officials of the city, former players like Rio Mavuba, Philippe Fargeon, or current like Paul Baysse, as well as club employees.

Girondins supporters during a demonstration in support of the club on July 9, 2022 in Bordeaux ROMAIN PERROCHEAU AFP

"It is an essential march to put faces to those who will really suffer from the disappearance of the group", underlines Julien, one of these administrative staff.

"You cannot, like that, strike out with a stroke of the pen a club which has 140 years of history to which the inhabitants of Bordeaux, of the department, of the region are very attached", explains the mayor Pierre Hurmic.

We want to make the governing bodies of French football aware of the weight of the responsibilities incumbent upon them.

It goes beyond a football club, it's a bit of our intangible heritage".

"Indestructible"

Gernot Rohr, Bordeaux player for 12 years then coach for nine years, wearing a Panama hat, is one of the most sought after.

"I was lucky with Nice to experience a similar situation" in 2002, says the Franco-German.

"We were demoted to National with loss of pro status and we ended up winning in front of the CNOSF. So we believe in it."

Girondins supporters during a demonstration in support of the club, July 9, 2022 ROMAIN PERROCHEAU AFP

Not far away, Laurent, one of the spokespersons for the Ultramarines, gears up: "At that time, there was excellent front work carried out by institutions, politicians, with real popular enthusiasm from the people of Nice to influence the situation. If we have a card to play, we will play it and we want to play it. Will it work today? We don't know".

"Perhaps there will be divine intervention", suggests with a smile a former player, champion of France, but who preferred to live this step back, with anonymous people.

As the procession progressed, good news came from a distance via a tweet from President Gerard Lopez: "To definitely put the odds on our side, I wanted to announce to you first that I added 14 million euros yesterday (Friday). in sequestration in the bank to the 10 million already put in favor of the club".

A cash contribution that the DNCG demanded, which should maintain the hope of a draft in L2.

Whatever happens before the CNOSF where the Girondins will go in a few days, then possibly later before the administrative court for their last resort, "we will always be there to sing", warns one of the megaphones of this march .

"Whether in L2 or in the depths of the amateur championships, our club is indestructible."

© 2022 AFP