Malo Gusto, Chelsea’s young right side defender, trained at Olympique Lyonnais (OL), expressed his relief after maintaining his former club in Ligue 1. OL had been demoted administratively to Ligue 2 by the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG), but was eventually reinstated by the Superior Appeals Commission of the Fédération Française de Football (FFF). This decision is excellent news for Gusto, who spent several years in Lyon between 2020 and 2023, participating in 61 games all over the competition. He shared his feelings about this during an interview with MadeInFOOT, a video directed by Dorian Bonzom for the Club World Cup.

The transfer of OL by Jean-Michel Aulas in December 2022 to the American John Textor was the source of many debates. The current FFF Vice President revealed that Textor was not Aulas’ first choice to buy the club. OL’s continued economic difficulties had jeopardized its retention in Ligue 1, thereby relaunching discussions on the Aulas era, which led the club from 1987 to 2023. Some already saw this sale as a problem announcer, and the choice of Textor is now being questioned.

Jean-Michel Aulas himself took a position on this matter via a publication on X (formerly Twitter). The President of the LFFP stated that John Textor was not his first option for the sale of OL. He noted that potential vendors were Pathe and IDG with Rainey, and that he had initially preferred Foster Gillett, noting OL’s financial health, attested by 36 years of satisfaction with the DNCG. This statement highlights the difficulties encountered by Aulas’ successors in dealing with financial controls.

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