Annecy’s off-pitch fight to avoid their relegation to National has taken another bizarre turn. The Savoy side ended the Ligue 2 season in 17th place courtesy of Rodez’s default win againt Bordeaux. Annecy then tried to convince the French football authorities to set up a 21-club Ligue 2 season in the name of sporting equity, to no avail as the league dismissed their appeal on Wednesday morning. In the afternoon, the DNCG – Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion, France’s football financial watchdog – announced the administrative relegation of Ligue 2 outfit Sochaux.
The Doubs side, owned by Chinese conglomerate Nenking Group, were sanctioned due to their financial struggles for two seasons now. It did not take long for Annecy to declare victory and announce they would replace Sochaux in the 2023-2024 Ligue 2 season, as is customary for the last relegated side to benefit from a rival’s administrative relegation. “We have also taken note of the decisions of the DNCG that our request [to play in a 21-club Ligue 2] has now become irrelevant”, Annecy wrote in their press release. “In view of these elements, the Football Club of Annecy remains in Ligue 2 BKT for the 2023-2024 season, and will now focus on building a team worthy of this championship.”
Annecy adds that their head coach Laurent Guyot has extended his contract. However, the press release failed to mention that Sochaux will, as expected, appeal their administrative relegation into National. It means that Annecy may just have given false hopes to their fans.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
