Olympique Lyonnais faced Manchester United at Old Trafford in a crucial qualifying match, and this meeting was an opportunity for Jake O็Brien, a former OL defender now playing in Everton, to support his former teammates. Although he was able to take advantage of his physical presence to dominate the aerial duels, the player chose to observe the game from the stands, taking advantage of the proximity between Manchester and Liverpool to go to the spot after following the meeting go away. This demonstrates his continued commitment to the Lyon club, despite his summer departure.
The presidential rostrum saw a party of French football personalities gather, including OL owner John Textor, accompanied by the entire Lyon staff. Among them were Matthieu Louis-Jean, David Friio, former sports director Michael Gerlinger, Laurent Prud’homme and Daniel Congrรฉ. The opportunity of this meeting also allowed the president of the LFP to visit the site, after attending the meeting between Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain, in a context of persistent debates concerning the television rights of Ligue 1 and the influence of DAZN.
The general atmosphere was marked by palpable tension, illustrating the difficulty of the current situation of French football. Jake O็Brien, despite his support, probably shared the disappointment of his former teammates with the game, a reality shared by all the observers present at Old Trafford, demonstrating a period of challenges for Olympique Lyonnais and French football in general.