Jean-Michel Aulas took over the club in 1987 when it was still in Ligue 2. He announced a plan under the now-famous name “European Olympique Lyonnais,” and unlike many others with similar ideas, he actually delivered. The year 1989 was the last time Olympique played second-tier football. From 2002 to 2008, the club won the French championship seven times, regularly competed in the Champions League, and was at that time considered the 12th or 13th richest club in the world, as Aulas constantly launched super-talented players like Michael Essien, Florent Malouda, Mahamadou Diarra, Karim Benzema, Alexandre Lacazette and Eric Abidal. Aulas sold the club in 2022, and although the contract allowed him to remain CEO until 2025, he left the club the following June—virtually stepping away from the club he built from scratch. He sold his “child” to John Textor, the so-called “Hollywood virtual reality guru,” as he’s known across the Atlantic for his success in digital technology and entertainment businesses. It took Textor just two years to ruin everything and send Lyon back to Ligue 2 after a quarter of a century. There’s still hope—Olympique has announced it will appeal the decision by the French authorities to relegate them due to concerns about the club’s financial health. If that fails, they can appeal to the French Olympic Committee… There are still other legal options. But if Textor hasn’t been able to convince the DNCG (the financial watchdog) to change its mind since the first warning back in November, it’s unlikely he’ll succeed in the next few weeks.BREAKING Olympique Lyon relegated to Ligue 2!In October, it was revealed that the total debts of Textor’s “Eagle Football” group amounted to around 500 million euros. It’s not that Textor didn’t try: he sold Maxence Caqueret to Como for 15 million, sent Rayan Cherki to Manchester City for 36.5 million, and sold his stake in Crystal Palace for just over 200 million—but it wasn’t enough. Lyon was relegated. And Lyon is furious. Especially with Textor. While Qatari owners have made Paris Saint-Germain European champions, the American has dragged one of the world’s most valuable clubs to the brink. The entire city is now plastered with posters: “Textor, leave!” He has lost the people’s trust—if he ever had it. Not even his confident smile as he walked into the courtroom helped him. Textor kept talking about the “Eagle” group, while the authorities kept questioning him about Olympique Lyonnais. Coming from a different sports system, he simply didn’t see the distinction. But the French authorities did. And they saw that Olympique as a club, not a group, owes 175 million. Perhaps encouraged by the success of his other club, Botafogo, at the Club World Cup, Textor kept insisting that “financially, everything is fine,” that “various investments have been made recently,” and said he was personally “very satisfied.” It didn’t work.Le peuple lyonnais se soulève…UN SEUL MOT D’ORDRE: #TEXTORDEHORS pic.twitter.com/H9iFvxeo6K— Bad Gones 1987 – Officiel (@BG1987Officiel) June 25, 2025 The fans are outraged. Back on June 12, the hardcore supporter group “Bad Gones” wrote to him, asking him to clarify the “complicated” situation, to explain whether Thiago Almada and Igor Jesus belong to Botafogo or Lyon, and to present his vision for the club. They accused him of betraying their trust. Now, the relationship has completely broken down.“Olympique Lyonnais was known for 30 years as a club that operated cleanly… Today, we’re struggling to understand who owns these players, who paid for them, and who will benefit from their sale,” fans said in frustration.🚨🇫🇷 Lyon release statement claiming cash flow has ‘improved significantly’ through equity contributions and the sale of Crystal Palace. pic.twitter.com/502GZRCDeA— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) June 24, 2025 They are especially angry that Textor didn’t even bother to respond, so today they again raised their voices against the American businessman:“John Textor was never the right man for this job and never will be. This Botafogo supporter must disappear from Lyon’s landscape. We call on all creditors to take control and hand the keys of Olympique Lyonnais to someone who will respect our institutions and atone for the insults they’ve suffered. We call on all Lyon fans to help save the club. We will stand by them in the fight to win back our club, our reason for being.” Textor is still counting on those appeals, but no one believes him anymore. Everyone is already talking about Reims taking Lyon’s spot in Ligue 1 next season, even though they lost that chance in the playoff against Metz.FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP 2025WednesdayEsperance – Chelsea 0-3 (0-1)/Adarabioyo 45+3, Delap 45+5, George 90+7/Los Angeles – Flamengo 1-1 (0-0)/Bouanga 84 – Wallace Yan 86/22:00: (1.22) Dortmund (6.50) Ulsan (12.0)22:00: (4.10) Mamelodi (3.50) Fluminense (1.90)Thursday04:00: (1.90) Inter Milan (3.45) River Plate (3.80)04:00: (5.30) Urawa RD (3.60) Monterrey (1.70)22:00: (4.40) Juventus (3.50) Man.City (1.85)22:00: (2.55) Wydad Casablanca (3.35) Al Ain (2.75)Friday04:00: (1.48) Al Hilal (4.40) Pachuca (6.75)04:00: (9.00) Salzburg (5.90) Real Madrid (1.30)***odds are subject to change***
