Claude Bez (November 4, 1940 – January 26, 1999), former Bordeaux soccer team chairman, was a personality in French football culture of the 1980s.^[1]

Claude Bez was born in Saint-Augustin, Bordeaux. His mother died when he was young. His father, Gaston, ran a small accounting firm that was growing quickly with branches in French overseas departments.^[2][3]

In his youth he played football for Coqs Rouges.^{[2][4][n 1]} On April 4, 1959, he won the U20 Gironde Cup against Girondins de Bordeaux. He played full-back, was thin and sported a mustache. He left Coqs Rouges for Villenave-d'Ornon, a neighborhood team, and soon devoted himself to a career in accounting.^[2]

He chaired Bordeaux for 12 years, leading the club to three French championship titles (1984, 1985 and 1987), two French Cups against Marseille in 1986 (2-1 after extra time) and in 1987 (2-0), and an uninterrupted run of participation in the European Cup from 1982 to 1989. He failed to achieve his dream of seeing Bordeaux become the first French club to win a European Cup; the team narrowly failed in the semi-finals in 1985 and 1987.

In 1988, he became superintendent of the French national team, a position created especially for him, and hired Michel Platini as coach to rebuild French football.^[5][6][7]

The end of his presidency was marked by his rivalry with Bernard Tapie.^[8] He is also known as the father of the French soccer broadcasting rights.^[8]

In september 1990, the fiscal administration launch a judiciary procedure against Bez for the surfacturation of Le Haillan, the formation center of the Girondins. In mars 1994, the Bordeaux tribunal condemn him to two years in prison and a fine of 2 million francs for fraud, forgery by instruction and concealment of use of forgery.^[9]

The 30 october of 1990, he launch another massive scandal in an interview to L’Équipe in which he confessed offering prostitutes to referees in european competitions.^[10]

He died of a heart attack in 1999.^[11]

• Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux