With its back against the wall before its appearance in front of the DNCG this Friday, John Textor's Olympique Lyonnais will have to prove convincing in front of the financial policeman of French football to avoid a Bordeaux-style rout.
In recent months, under the orders of Pierre Sage, OL have regained a sporting level worthy of the great club that it is by replaying the European Cup, three years later, while being on the verge of the podium in the third of the championship. On the other hand, from a financial point of view, the Rhone club has rarely been in such difficulty… Despite a few transfers in the transfer window, the sales of OL Women for 50 ME or the LDLC Arena for 150 ME, the accounts of Les Gones are still in the red. Over the last financial year, OL had a debt of 463.8 ME and a loss of 25.7 ME. A financial report in the dark red that John Textor will have to defend before the DNCG this Friday during the famous mid-season inspection. Following an initial regulation of the payroll in July 2023, the American investor's club could suffer new sanctions from the financial policeman of French football. Until a precautionary relegation to Ligue 2? It's possible, even if Luc Arrondel believes that OL will not end up like Bordeaux, returning to N2 after filing for bankruptcy.
“The DNCG will not reach relegation”
“If we look closely at OL's balance sheet, the deficit is 30 million euros. Certainly, much lower than the previous season (97 million), but it adds up! And on the balance sheet, given the weakness of equity and the level of debt, there is a real need for liquidity to cover the deficit. But it's still OL, it's not Bordeaux. These are completely different amounts. OL still presents some guarantees. I think the DNCG will not reach relegation. This could be a ban on recruitment, control of the payroll. This will surely be the case while awaiting other financial guarantees. But in any case, it is a difficult equation to solve. Because if you sell your best players, you have less sporting performance and it’s complicated to go to the Champions League”launched, on Ouest-France, the economist specializing in football, who knows that OL will not emerge unscathed in this affair. And Les Gones will have to pay the price in the years to come…
France
