The canteen of Neuville sports club is not used to seeing the president of a professional club arrive to take his meal tray in all simplicity, among players of 14 and 15 years old. During the 35th edition of the Pentecost U15 international tournament organized in Neuville-sur-Saône, a Rhone town of less than 8,000 inhabitants, everyone was amazed last Saturday by discovering the presence of the American owner of Olympique Lyonnais John Textor. Including the young players and OL staff present on site, while the pros were preparing to play a decisive final day of Ligue 1 the next day against Strasbourg (2-1), then the final of the Coupe de France. Saturday (9 p.m. in Lille) against PSG.
“He arrived without calculation or communication,” says Cyrille Dolce, the coach of the Lyon U15s. He hadn’t told anyone at the club. He wanted to see this free football that he loves so much, and he didn’t stay for one match or one day, but for the entire tournament over three days. » Finalist in this competition bringing together 20 teams, the teenagers of the “formidable academy” rubbed shoulders with a shock supporter, as passionate in Neuville as to celebrate in Décines the unexpected qualification of the professional group in the Europa League.
“The players were all very touched”
“He’s someone very simple, very accessible, even astonishing,” continues Cyrille Dolce, who was able to count on Antoine, a young trilingual Lebanese player, to translate with the whole group. He sat behind the handrail. She’s a guest star who didn’t think she was a guest star. » To the point that the Florida businessman stopped by the OL locker room during the tournament, at the request of the coach.
“ He wanted to know the first and last name of each player, he is the OL of tomorrow in his eyes, appreciates Cyrille Dolce. He brought additional strength to our group. The players were all very touched to see the president stay with us the entire tournament. After the defeat in the final [0-1 contre le pôle Espoirs de la Ligue Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]he told them: “Today’s tears will be used for tomorrow’s victories.” »
The big gap seems total between this episode and the image of a distant shareholder, symbol of the multi-ownership of clubs with its Eagle Football structure, which he conveyed during his first months at the head of OL. After having had to digest the official takeover of the club by John Textor in December 2022, then the ousting of Jean-Michel Aulas in May 2023, Lyon supporters had a lot of difficulty accepting the American-style crisis communication from the new boss . With, in the process, the big hiccup against the DNCG and the cataclysmic start to the 2023-2024 season which led to the dismissal of Laurent Blanc.
The (winning) choice of Pierre Sage is clearly his
While less present in Lyon than in Brazil (Botafogo is part of the Eagle galaxy with Molenbeek and OL), the owner took advantage of a move to the mixed zone at the end of October after a frightening setback against Clermont (1-2), synonymous 18th place in the standings with 3 points on the clock in 9 days of Ligue 1, to ensure: “This team does not risk relegation. No relegated team in any league plays like we did tonight. No, open your eyes, our team is too good for that.”
A speech almost out of character as the situation seemed desperate that evening, as at so many other moments in the first leg, OL still being 18th with 7 points in 14 days on December 6. Except that in the meantime, John Textor had the merit of quickly recognizing the failure of Fabio Grosso to install on the bench a man named Pierre Sage, then unknown to the general public. He had already thought about becoming the director of the Lyon training center after the departure of Laurent Blanc, but he had been dissuaded internally.
“We work in perfect harmony”
The incredible success of Pierre Sage in the return phase in Ligue 1 (from 18th to 6th with 2.09 points per match on average), and as a bonus this run in the Coupe de France, clearly has his mark. In addition to the inspired maintenance of the supposed interim “Stone Wise”, John Textor formalized in two auspicious weeks a sports director, David Friio, as well as a general director, Laurent Prud’homme.
“When a new owner arrives, it creates a bit of instability,” David Friio explained on Tuesday. But we have an incredible owner. He’s so passionate, he watches games and he has real knowledge. The most important thing is to have alignment between him, Laurent, Pierre and me. We are united, we know where we want to go. We will continue to build on this dynamic to be ambitious next season. »
This new “alignment” found in the Lyon organization chart, while Michael Gerlinger (ex-Bayern Munich) was also made official in March as global director of football at Eagle, will it now prevent John Textor from (too much? ) interfere in the transfer window? And this after his management of the recruitments of Jeffinho, Adryelson and Perri (Botafogo), Jake O’Brien (Molenbeek), but also the loan of Diego Moreira (Chelsea). “John is very involved in sports, he is kept informed, he validates things,” answers David Friio when asked about this specific point. We work in perfect harmony and there is no secret: if OL are here now, it is because it is working. »
“I have never had a president like that”
We readily believe it, especially since the players show the same enthusiasm about this atypical personality with different lives, from skateboard champion to boss of a special effects company for the cinema… and driver of the bus of the football academy he created in Florida.
“ I’ve never had a president like that, laughs Saïd Benrahma, one of the main recruits in Lyon’s ambitious winter transfer window. He is really simple, whether with us in the locker room, with the supporters or with the young people at the club. Not all presidents do this. He does a good job and he’s a really good guy. »
Because yes, after the long period of distrust towards him, exacerbated by his quarrel with JMA, the supporters are also now convinced of it. And this after seeing it stick stickers of ultra groups from OL, after having shared a beer with him during a Coupe de France match in Besançon, in a U17 derby against ASSE (2-0) at the Décines training center, or even in a McDonald’s in Doubs before he went to catch a plane.
“Is multi-ownership a hit or is it killing football? »
“I now have no doubt about the fact that he is nice and natural,” confirms Richard (45), a regular at the southern bend. He has structured the club well in recent months, we must also give him credit for that. But does he really have the means to make OL succeed? I’m not sure we’re safe from another unpleasant surprise when we pass the DNCG this summer. He hasn’t gotten back to me on this point yet. »
Our file on OL
When we remember the banners displayed by the north turn last fall, such as “There is fire at the house, but where is the direction? » and “Multi-ownership, is it a hit or is it killing football? “, we say to ourselves, however, that he has turned around the Lyon public almost as much in 2024 as his team has turned around Ligue 1. And if we were only one (miraculous) additional success away from hearing a place for Terreaux jubilantly chanting “Textor, Textor”?