National Football Team, A.C. Ajaccio, embroiled in financial difficulties, barred from participating in any domestic competitions
AC Ajaccio, a French football club that has been a fixture in Ligue 2 since 1998, has been dealt a significant blow. The club has been excluded from all national championships for the 2025-2026 season and forced to descend to the amateur level, primarily due to a severe financial deficit.
Last season, AC Ajaccio finished in 12th place in Ligue 2. However, their financial struggles came to a head in August, when the club's relegation was confirmed by the DNCG (the financial regulatory body of French football leagues). The club's financial insolvency, which included a debt of approximately 13 million euros, led to an administrative relegation from Ligue 2 to the National division.
The situation worsened when AC Ajaccio did not meet all the commission's requirements during a meeting with French football's financial watchdog on August 13. As a result, the club was excluded from all national competitions altogether. This marks the first time AC Ajaccio will be starting at the sixth national tier (Regional 1) due to administrative relegation, and it's the first time the club will be at this level since 1990.
The financial deficit, which included about 6 million euros in fiscal and social debts, left the club unable to present a financially viable budget to compete even at the National 1 level, threatening its professional status. The club had no means to appeal to the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), which could have potentially overturned or deferred the decision.
The DNCG judged the club’s financial situation as insolvent and incapable of meeting a significant tax payment due by the end of August 2025. This judgment led to the club's exclusion from all national championships.
Despite the fundraising efforts, which included the sale or departure of several players and a contribution of 2.5 million euros from the club's majority shareholder, Francis Perez, AC Ajaccio was unable to meet all the commission's requirements.
This dramatic fall from their previous stability in Ligue 2 and even having played in Ligue 1 just three years earlier is a stark reminder of the challenges facing football clubs in maintaining financial stability. The fate of AC Ajaccio is similar to other Corsican clubs like SC Bastia and Gazélec Ajaccio, which also faced administrative relegations to amateur levels in recent years.
The FFF’s disciplinary commission ruled that AC Ajaccio must rebuild from the amateur divisions, effectively losing its professional status. The club has been given seven days to appeal the decision. If the appeal fails, AC Ajaccio will have to compete in the sixth national tier (Regional 1) for at least one season.
Football clubs, like AC Ajaccio, heavily rely on financial stability to succeed in sports. Despite selling several players and receiving financial support from majority shareholder Francis Perez, AC Ajaccio failed to meet the necessary requirements for sports-analysis and was consequently excluded from all national championships for the 2025-2026 season, forcing the club to descend to the amateur level (Regional 1), marking a significant drop from their previous standing in Ligue 2.
