Forced descent in League 2
Like an American Olympique Lyon in ruin
In the early 2000s, Olympique Lyon was a football power in Ligue 1. Now the once large club is financially on the ground. How could that happen?
It is a French football drama: the football finance supervision DNCG (Direction National Du Contrôle de Gesentung) has sentenced Olympique Lyon to the first division due to the financial situation of the association, where the club has played permanently since 1889.
From 2002, Lyon became a French champion seven times in a row, at that time the “Lyonnaise” were unstoppable. Now the downfall threatens. The judgment of the DNCG is a big shock for the traditional club.
In terms of sport, things went well at Olympique Lyon. Last season, the club played a grotty first half of the season (14th place), but then started and was even in 1st place in the second half of the season, in total it was enough for the 6th place. Lyon also occupied it last season and thus qualified again for the Europa League.
So how could it get that far?
American owner with high debts
Olympique Lyon has been owned by the American John Textor since December 2022. As the “” then reported, Textor’s investment company Eagle Football Holdings took over 77.49 percent of the shares in the French Football Association.
Textor has several clubs worldwide, until recently 44.9 percent of the English Premier League club Crystal Palace. One day before the difficult setback for Lyon, he announced in a that Robert Wood Johnson from the USA bought the Eagle Football’s shares in Palace.
John Textor apparently wanted to calm the DNCG with the resulting revenues. Already in November last year, the financial supervision imposed Lyons’s forced relegation on probation. At that time, the debts had amounted to around 500 million euros.
After the hearing on Tuesday, Textor said: “I think everything went remarkably well,” reported “”. But his attempt to convince the DNCG of his business plan failed miserably.
Olympique Lyon announces that it is appeal
Olympique Lyon announced in the evening that the association “takes note of the incomprehensible decision of the DNCG from tonight”. One wanted to appeal immediately. It is incomprehensible “how an administrative decision can let such a large French association descend.” OL was able to demonstrate sufficient capital and sporting success, it is said.
L’Olympique Lyonnais Prend Acte de la Décision Incompréhensible rendue par la dncg ce soir et conferme qu’il fera Immédiatement Appel
🗞 Le communiqué 👇
– Olympique Lyonnais (@ol) June 24, 2025
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Fans let their frustration run free on social networks. “It is time that everyone comes together and organizing a large anti-textor demonstration,” wrote one of them on X. Many users used the hashtag #textorout in their posts. “John Textor has no place at the head of our club,” commented another.
Other club could benefit
The dramatic cut comes exactly one week after the death of the club legend Bernard Lacombe. He himself played for the Lyonnaise for many years and is the main person responsible for Lyon’s return to the highest French division. On Wednesday, one day after the financial super gau of his old love, he will be buried.
If the appeal is unsuccessful and it remains for the forced relegation for Lyon, Stade Reims would remain in the league instead. In the relegation, the first division team had lost against the second division team FC Metz.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
