The Dijon club could abandon its women’s section if it does not find a buyer. A terribly difficult situation for the players, who denounce the “indifference of an absent management.”
A future in great danger. Currently fifth in the Première Ligue, Dijon’s women’s club could give up professionalism and start again at a lower level if it does not find a buyer. The announcement was made on Monday through a press release and had a devastating effect on the Dijon players.
“In a context of crisis in French professional football with the collapse of TV rights on which the development of professional women’s football relied, DFCO, like many clubs, must face economic difficulties and rethink its model,” justified the club, which warned that “no guarantee could be given regarding the level of competition of the teams for next season” if the negotiations “still ongoing with two potential buyers” did not succeed.
“We have been neglected from the start”
In response, the Dijon players published a scathing statement on their social media platforms on Thursday to denounce this “abandonment” and “deep contempt.” “20 years of commitment are fading in the indifference of an absent management. Our women’s section, despite being at the highest level for eight years, is facing a confused and reckless management. Decency would have been to transfer to save the essential,” they wrote.
And added: “Learning about the end of our section through a vague press release rather than an honest exchange is the final insult. Leading is about taking responsibility, not abandoning. We play for this club. It should fight for us. We deserve respect, women’s football deserves respect.” In their sights, notably: Pierre-Henri Deballon, president of DFCO.
“We have been neglected from the start. We were not considered by the president as we should be in a high-level club,” explains forward Meriame Terchoun in an interview given on Thursday to ICI Bourgogne. “It is also difficult, I find, to play for a club that does not want us at this level, and to let a team that has had good seasons sink,” she laments.
Depending on its budget, DFCO could also give up its accreditation as a women’s training center “because it is not suitable for the current reality of the club” while retaining all youth categories. In the men’s side, Dijon is currently leading the National championship and poses as a serious candidate for a return to Ligue 2.
