The president of Lyon, the American John Textor, accused his predecessor Jean-Michel Aulas of having “presided over the deterioration” of the financial situation of the Rhone club and of having withheld certain information from him when the sale was finalized. last December. “This is one of the reasons for the difficulties we are experiencing in my relationship with “JMA”. I find it almost funny and tragic that he told the markets that he would have resolved the situation when he presided over its deterioration, ”said the American investor during a videoconference with some media.
“He hid bad news. I could have found a solution before December 19 if I had been aware,” he added. In early July, the DNCG decided to regulate OL’s payroll and transfer allowances, then rejected an appeal from John Textor who challenged these measures. “There was an erroneous assessment of OL’s real financial situation when the transaction was completed last December,” said Textor, whose comments have been officially translated.
Textor unpacks, Aulas threatens
“If I had known we would have these restrictions for this first transfer window, I would have asked to stop the transaction and restructure rather than give half a billion dollars in cash for the sellers,” he said. . “When you bring so much money, it is unthinkable to have this type of restriction”, he added, before detailing his grievances: “I am not happy with certain documents received in December and in June concerning the warnings from the DNCG sent to OL concerning in particular the consequences on the absence from the European Cup for three consecutive years requiring a contribution of 150 million euros. »
Unsurprisingly, the reaction of the former OL manager was not long in coming. In the wake of Textor’s interview, Aulas pulled out the guns. “I imagine that these remarks are not from John Textor because, by making them, he would expose himself to a lawsuit for defamation and moreover would risk catastrophic sanctions for OL from the DNCG and the LFP! he proclaimed on Twitter.
New passage in front of the DNCG within two months
Lyon must go back to the DNCG in October or November to reassess their situation. This is not the first battle between the old and the new team in charge of the club. At the end of July, after the confirmation on appeal of the framework measures decided by the DNCG, Jean-Michel Aulas, dismissed on May 5 from his position as CEO of OL Groupe, had declared in the columns of the daily The Team that he had “never been worried” by the financial policeman of French football. “I have never had any problem in 35 years of presidency. So far, the DNCG has always congratulated us on our management,” he continued.
The club’s new executive chairman, Santiago Cucci, appointed by Textor, quickly replied: “Even though we have changed our approach, we have to take what he left us and be smart to build on that. We only have free rein since mid-May. »