A debt burden of more than half a billion threatens to bring down Olympique Lyon.
Lyon players are trying to keep the sympathies of the fans on their side. EPA / AOP
The life of Olympique Lyon fans is certainly not to be envied.
Back in the early 2000s, Les Gones won the Ligue 1 championship no less than seven times in a row, and it constantly bullied its bigger rivals on the Euro courts.
Millions still remember Juninho Pernambucano phenomenal braves and a young man Karim Benzema finishes in the shirt of his breeding club.
But even though supporters in football are used to the pendulum movement, no one would have thought they would experience such a slump.
On Wednesday, it lost to Bourgoin-Jallieu of the fifth division in the French Cup.
– I can’t blame anyone in particular. We just have to live with this shame. Our duty would be to beat a team that plays four divisions below, head coach Pierre Sage confessed.
Forced sale of players
Unfortunately, the supporters’ pain is not ending soon. And even greater shame awaits the club, if the main owner John Textor not digging a rabbit out of a hat.
The DNCG, which oversees the financial fair play of French football, has already conditionally dropped Lyon to the second division. According to it, the club has only spring time to reduce its debt mountain, which has grown to more than 500 million euros.
However, the American Textor does not seem to fully understand the seriousness of the matter. He sometimes accuses the supervising authority and sometimes the Qataris behind PSG of conspiracy, when he himself should be thinking of ways to save the club.
Yankee owner John Textor got to celebrate the Copa Libertadores victory with Botafogo. EPA / AOP
Initially, Textor suggested he could sell his 45 percent stake in Crystal Palace or borrow the money from his almost wholly-owned Copa Libertadores winner Botafogo.
In turn, it did not happen to the authorities. Lyon should dig at least 175 million out of their own pockets in order to keep the league license next season as well.
Maxence Caqueret (17 million euros) was sold to Como, a Nigerian Gift from Orban received a good 10 million (transfer to Hoffenheim), brass Jeffinho returned to Botafogo and goalkeeper Anthony Lopes found a new home in Nantes.
When you’re still high-paid Nicolas Tagliafico and Alexandre Lacazette could be sold during January, the rescue package could be successful.
– Mr. Textor’s claims about DNCG’s close relationship with the league and the discrimination experienced by Lyon clearly show that he does not understand the rules of professional football in France, DNCG President Jean-Marc Mickeler said on Tuesday.
“Should be taken seriously”
Mickeler went on to say that the watchdog had been trying to find out Textor’s plans since the very beginning of his Lyon ownership (end of 2022).
– He should take this seriously. French football deserves honest investors who respect the institutions and are ready to work openly.
Textor bought Lyon already in debt from its previous principal owner From Jean-Michel Aulasbut instead of trying to cut costs, he immediately started pouring money into new players.
Vitosdivar’s amateur club Bourgoin–Jallieu knocked Lyon out of the French Cup. PDO
DNCG placed the club on a temporary purchase ban, but Textor got around it by signing players from his own Belgian club Molenbeek and immediately loaning them to Lyon.
French football already knows the fate of the bankrupt Girondins de Bordeaux. Six-time national champion and Alain Giressen the foster club was condemned to the fourth league level with one shot.
Now all Lyon supporters are hoping that Textor will indeed raise the necessary money. Otherwise, the shock drop of the Cup would not remain the biggest shame of the season.