Success on Pitch, Crisis Off: Dijon Women's Club Fights for Survival

Despite an ongoing successful season, Dijon's women's football team is in critical financial distress and may lose its professional status by the end of the current campaign. The team has been on the market for approximately eighteen months, but no buyer has emerged.

Players expressed deep dissatisfaction in a public statement on April 9, 2026, citing feelings of being "unwanted from day one." This follows the club's announcement four days prior about scaling back ambitions for the women's side due to insufficient resources, even contemplating the dissolution of the professional team for the upcoming season.

The squad has criticized management as "confused and careless," highlighting an "absent leadership" and "indifference" they claim are leading to the section's demise. They argue the board's unrealistic demands during the sale process have hindered any potential acquisition.

President Pierre-Henri Deballon, who took over in July 2024, admits he can no longer fund both professional teams, prioritizing the men's side due to higher revenue generation. The club is reportedly still in talks with an undisclosed investor after a prior deal with Sphera Partners collapsed.

The women's section is reportedly running a deficit of approximately €5 million for the 2025-26 season, with the board estimating its losses at €1.5 million. This figure is contested by players and the financial officer, who suggest the actual loss is closer to €600,000.

Further financial setbacks include the denial of a €200,000 subsidy from the French Football Federation because the head of the newly formed academy lacked the required qualifications. Additionally, an offer of at least €100,000 in January 2026 for player Nadia Krezyman was rejected by the sporting director, a decision that prevented the club from balancing its accounts before financial oversight bodies.

The entire squad, with the exception of academy product Lina Gay, is expected to depart at the end of the season on free transfers. This situation mirrors the fates of other French women's clubs like Bordeaux and Soyaux. The players learned of the potential "end of the women's team" through a statement on the club's website, a method they deemed "a final insult."

In solidarity, the men's team wore "support for the women's section" t-shirts before a recent match, an action that was omitted from the club's official media coverage.