John Textora, the American businessman, withdrew from his duties as Chairman and Board of Directors of Olympique Lyonnais a week ago. This decision led Michele Kang, OL owner, to take the lead in trying to save the club from an administrative demotion in Ligue 2, decided by the DNACG. Textora, apparently disappointed by the severity of the DNACG, now wants to focus on his other projects: Botafogo, the Daring Brussels and a future club in England. For this, it is essential that the sale of its shares at Crystal Palace be finalized and that OL obtain the cancellation of its demotion, allowing Eagle Football Holdings to prosper.

OL’s future will be crucial on 10 July, the date of its visit to the DNACG. The club must absolutely inject 100 million euros into its cash flow, with the promise of an additional contribution of 100 million for the coming season. This tense financial situation obliges OL to consider selling several players in order to meet the requirements of the DNACG. Names such as Lucas Perriet, Georges Mikautadze and Malick Fofana attract interest in English clubs, while other players such as Duje Caleta-Car, Nemanja Matic and Jordan Verevou are considered non-priority. The future of Thiago Almada and Ainsley Maitland-Niles remains uncertain.

In addition, recent revelations have highlighted questionable financial practices involving Botafogo, who would have benefited from OL’s contracts and players to finance his sporting successes. OL would have borne the costs of three players, Igor Jesus, Jair and Luiz Henrique, for the greatest benefit of Botafogo. In addition, OL’s strength this season reached an unusually high number of 54 players, well above the usual size of a professional club. Faced with this situation, OL is planning an austerity plan to reduce wages and size, with the possibility of starting some players in order to achieve significant savings.