Despite the little dig sent by John Textor against him a few days ago in the media, Jean-Michel Aulas remains the first supporter of the president of Olympique Lyonnais.
In 2023, after several decades at the head of the Rhone club, which went from L2 to the Champions League under his presidency, Jean-Michel Aulas officially sold OL to John Textor. If initially relations between the boss of Eagle Football and the honorary president of Lyon were complicated, the two men made peace. In recent months, the two have even done business again with the sale of the LDLC Arena hall in Aulas. Except that this week, everyone might have thought that there was again some frying on the line between the two, Textor having reignited the fuse on Jérôme Rothen's show. On RMC, the American businessman had actually estimated that his predecessor “had not turned the page”. A statement which could have added fuel to the fire, but while OL's situation is complicated, Aulas preferred to play the appeasement card by responding to Textor in a calm manner.
“John must concentrate fully on OL”
“My relationship with John is very good. But I was surprised by his reaction. I sent him the exact translation of my words. I express myself less well in English than in French. I had it translated precisely, there had been an interference between the comments I had made and those reported. That's what disappointed him, perhaps. I'm a big supporter of John when he wins titles. He has just demonstrated it, he has just won the championship and the Copa Libertadores with Botafogo. Bravo to John. He's not a day-to-day manager like I was. You have to follow the rules, which are the rules of UEFA, FIFA, the League, the Federation. When you're an American like he is, dynamic, that's the hardest thing. This is where there were some difficulties which could have upset him. I hope with all my heart that the current difficulties will be resolved. John has the ability. It has powerful shareholders. Monitoring of the DNCG is part of a general plan. You have to be able to meet these deadlines. I completely trust John. He must concentrate fully on OL, perhaps less on Botafogo so that more of his skills are available to OL supporters.”explained, on RMC, Aulas, who hopes that OL will get out of the current crisis, in order to avoid a demotion to L2 at the end of the season.
