Gérard López sentenced to 10-month suspended prison sentence | OneFootball

According to a report by L’Équipe, Gérard López appeared at a Lille criminal court as part of a preliminary admission of guilt procedure this morning where he was found guilty of complicity in the illegal practice of a sports agent during his time as Lille OSC owner.

López was sentenced to a 10-month suspended prison sentence and fined €45,000 after he was found to have hired and complied with Karim Saada, a former Lille scout, who was acting as a sports agent without a valid license. However, López, the former Lille owner and current owner of FC Girondins de Bordeaux has 10 days to appeal this decision.

Saada has also been provided with a 10-month suspended prison sentence and has been fined €5,000 for “illegally practising the profession of a sports agent without a license.” He is also banned from working as a sports agent.

Gérard López time at Lille fiercely criticised

López sold Lille in 2020 leaving debts of around €400 million. López’s stewardship of the club has been fiercely criticised by his successor Olivier Létang who helped steer Les Dogues away from the verge of bankruptcy. In October, Létang announced that the club was completely debt-free.

GFFN | Nick Hartland