AC Ajaccio file for bankruptcy and lose professional status | OneFootball

After months of financial turmoil, AC Ajaccio have filed for bankruptcy, losing their professional status for the first time in 27 years.

According to Corse-Matin, the Corsican club submitted their declaration of insolvency on Monday at the Ajaccio commercial court. The decision comes after the board failed to attract investors or cover an estimated €13m deficit. The move will result in the loss of around 180 jobs and the closure of the club’s training centre, which was named the best in Ligue 2 as recently as May.

Ajaccio’s immediate future remains unclear. The French football financial watchdog, the DNCG, has excluded the club from all national competitions, which would force a restart in Régional 1 (sixth tier). However, the association managing the ACA’s amateur arm hopes to appeal before Thursday in a last-ditch effort to secure a place in National 3 (fifth tier).

Supporters have already mobilised in an attempt to save the club. The Socios ACA launched an online fundraising campaign on Sunday which raised more than €10,000 in its first 24 hours.

Ajaccio, twice promoted to Ligue 1 in the past decade, now face the most precarious moment in their modern history. The club’s current board is expected to resign in the coming days as survival efforts shift to the grassroots level.GFFN | George Boxall