Official | Auxerre name David Wantier as new Sporting Director

AJ Auxerre have a new sporting director. On Tuesday, it was announced that David Wantier would be taking charge of that department for the Burgundy club. The 52-year-old has been at AJA since 2022, serving in an advisory role to the recruitment team before this promotion.

The recruiting side is something he’s very familiar with. Before coming to Auxerre, Wantier served as the director of recruitment for AS Saint-Étienne.

🔵 David Wantier nommé directeur sportif de l’AJA ⚪️

Conseiller sous le statut de prestataire depuis novembre 2022, David Wantier s’engage avec l’AJ Auxerre en tant que directeur sportif. Auxerrois de cœur et riche d’une longue expérience dans le football, notamment à l’AS… pic.twitter.com/YtBjggJJrS

— AJ Auxerre (@AJA) October 7, 2025

Prior to entering the recruiting world, Wantier was a player agent and previously directed a car dealership in the Auxerre area.

While he’s got lots of experience in football over the years, Wantier was in the headlines for the wrong reasons last year. In December, he was sentenced in the first instance to three months in prison, suspended, and fined €5,000. The conviction stems from a case involving the commission of transfers by false agents in Marseille. Seven others were convicted in that case, including the adopted son of former Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier.

Cédric Daury served as the sporting director of Auxerre until his death in August 2024 at the age of 54. Auxerre are in their second successive campaign in Ligue 1, but are in early danger of relegation this season. After seven matchdays, they find themselves in the relegation playoff position, in 16th place with six points.

A 2-1 defeat versus RC Lens in their previous match gave them two successive defeats in the French top-flight. That equals their longest losing run in the competition this year.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre