Elan Bearnais to be removed from French LNB due to financial problems / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA.com Credit FIBA.com

Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez will be demoted to the amateur level. The team's commitment for the 2022-2023 season in the French Pro A league, as well as at the lower tier, the Pro B, was declined for financial reasons, the National Basketball League announced on June 22.

The club submitted an appeal after the decision, however, LNB reviewed it and confirmed the decision of the club's removal on Monday.

Seized on appeal, the LNB did not believe the evidence provided by the Elan Bearnais and maintained its sanctions expressed in the first instance. The Elan Bearnais now has ten days to appeal to the federal court.

Control of the club was ceded a year ago by the urban community of Pau-Pyrenees, the city of Pau, and the Community of Communes of Lacq-Orthez to the American investment fund Counterpointe Sports Group, now the majority shareholder.

In the last season, the club accumulated an estimated 2-3 million euros deficit on a planned budget of 7.8 million. The first alerts began to arise in early May when the problems of late salary payments and the departure of GM Tom Huston were revealed.

Elan Bearnais is a historic French basketball club with nine French championship titles and a FIBA Korac cup in 1984. The team won the French Cup this year and was a semi-finalist in the French LNB.

Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.