In a recent interview with the Brazilian press, John Textor, former President of Olympique Lyonnais, strongly criticized the National Management Control Directorate (DNCG) and the French football authorities. He stressed the excessive power of Jean-Marc Mickeler, president of the DNCG, and called the Football Professional League (LFP) “problematic”. Textor admitted to having made mistakes during his time in France, in particular by seeking to set up a model similar to the Premier League without the agreement of the DNCG, and claimed to have left his duties out of personal conviction. He also referred to the difficulties encountered with the DNCG, which opposed any idea of relegation, and expressed disappointment at the lack of willingness to change.

Olympique Lyonnais made a convincing friendly match against Hamburg, winning 4 goals at 0. The young midfielder Khalis Merah praised the team’s collective performance and the confidence given by coach Paulo Fonseca. Malick Fofana, also a scorer and passerant in this match, stressed the team’s improvement in the second period and the importance of putting in place the strategies worked in training. This victory marks the start of OL’s summer training in Innsbruck, in preparation for the recovery of Ligue 1 on 23 August. The club undertook important work on its stadium, the Parc OL, to improve the lawn for a competition-rich season.

Fleury Di Nallo, legend of Olympique Lyonnais, released a new album entitled “Le Petit Prince de Gerland”, tracing his years at the club and welcoming OL’s iconic figures. Dutch defender Ruben Kluivert made his debut with OL in the match against Hamburg, showing an interesting potential in terms of passes and duels. Despite some mistakes and yellow cards, it could become a valuable option for stopped kicks. The arrival of Kluivert represents a bet for the Lyon management, which has to deal with the recruitment constraints imposed by the DNCG.