The DNCG prolongs the suspense on the thorny case of Olympique Lyonnais version John Textor. We indeed learned on Tuesday evening, via a press release from the LFP, that a “stay of proceedings pending additional information requested from the club by the DNCG” had been decided. Clearly, the committee has not yet agreed to lift the transfer and payroll control sanctions which have affected OL since its appearance at first instance on July 4, and before the appeal committee on July 19. It was then necessary to present 60 million euros of cash in the club’s accounts to have a free hand on the transfer market, which John Textor had not done.
The Lyon delegation present Tuesday afternoon in front of the DNCG, around its American owner, had arguments to be more convincing this time. Starting with the €94.2 million net player sales during the summer, with the (juicy) sales of Castello Lukeba to RB Leipzig and Bradley Barcola to PSG on display. As explained The TeamJohn Textor would also like the €53 million to be taken into account for the imminent sale of the OL Reign women’s football franchise, finalist of the last American championship, and for which OL Groupe is in exclusive negotiations with the owners of the MLS franchise of Seattle Sounders.
An envelope of more than 50 million euros in the winter transfer window?
Add to this the recent refinancing of the club’s debt, which pushed John Textor to be confident, at the microphone of RMC, just after this new appearance before the DNCG: “I appreciated the meeting. We were good on the numbers. Everyone knows what we did on player sales. We also transmitted the very good figures for debt refinancing. Our progress is impressive, particularly in this work on debt. I think that the firmness of the DNCG during the first hearing was beneficial for us. It is unusual for the DNCG to lift these sanctions, but that is what we asked for. We would like to invest intelligently but significantly during the next transfer window.”
To obtain this possibility this winter, which would not be a luxury given the disastrous situation of OL in Ligue 1 (18th, five points behind the first non-relegation), John Textor will therefore have to transmit in the coming days “additional elements” to the case defended Tuesday before the DNCG. If the sanctions are effectively lifted, the championship’s bottom team could invest more than 50 million euros in January. The recruitment team around Matthieu Louis-Jean will then have to find reinforcements capable of saving the club from relegation to Ligue 2 towards which it is heading.