It is today that the Lyon club appears on appeal before the legal commission of the French Football Federation. Objective for John Textor, owner of the club, to at least partially lift the ban on recruitment and the control of the payroll. But the club is still subject to relegation to League 2 as a precautionary measure at the end of the season pronounced by the DNCG, the financial policeman of French football.
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This Wednesday, January 10 marks a crucial step for Olympique Lyonnais. The Rhone club appears today before the appeal committee of the French Football Federation to contest the financial sanctions imposed by the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG) last November.
The appeal, made in December, focuses on the control of the payroll and the ban on recruiting, leaving aside the threat of demotion to Ligue 2. To plead its case, OL presents new financial elements, notably recent player transfers.
These sanctions are due to the worrying financial situation of the club, which has a debt of 505 million euros. un balance sheet which has deteriorated in recent years, with a loss of 25.7 million euros recorded for the 2023-2024 financial year, and forecasts for 2024-2025 which are even more gloomy, with a loss estimated at more of 150 million euros, excluding player transfers.
This alarming estimate contrasts with the net loss of 25.7 million euros recorded for the financial year ending June 30, 2024.. The club’s financial situation deteriorated rapidly, with a significant drop in revenue in the first quarter of the 2024–25 season. Revenue fell from 123.1 million euros between July and September 2023 to only 66.1 million euros over the same period in 2024.
Among the factors contributing to the forecast losses is the drop in revenue from player sales. Revenue from player transfers fell from 90.5 million euros to 29.7 million euros. There is also the reduction in TV rights for the French championship, down 61%.
Among the arguments put forward before the legal commission of the French Football Federation, the club highlights the departure of Anthony Lopes to Nantes, generating a substantial saving on the payroll. Added to this are the transfers of Jeffinho to Botafogo (5.3 million euros) and of Gift Orban to Hoffenheim (1st German division) for 9 million euros.
Lyon management also mentions other potential transfers between now and the end of the winter transfer window (February 3, 2025 at 11 p.m.): lmidfielder Paul Akouokou (9 matches in 2023-2024, none this season) acquired in 2023 for 3 million euros from Betis Sevilla where he hardly played anymore, striker Wilfried Zaha, on loan from Galatasaray, or even midfielder Maxence Caqueret are likely to leave by the end of January.
In addition, high-salary players like Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Tagliafico will reach the end of their contracts this season.
A key element of Lyon’s argument is based on the financial contribution of Eagle Football Holding. The structure, which oversees OL, Botafogo and Molenbeek (Belgian 2nd division), announced in November a fundraising of 40 million dollars, the first stage of a 100 million funding round before its listing on the stock exchange. new York.
There is also the possible sale of the shares held by John Textor in the English club Crystal Palace: the billionaire has thus entered into exclusive negotiations to sell his 45% stake in the club in the southern suburbs of London.
A group of investors, possibly Saudi and American, are said to have offered around 178 million euros ($185 million). This offer, revised upwards compared to the initial proposal, would have been accepted by Textor.
Alongside this crucial hearing, OL should formalize today the arrival of Thiago Almada, a 23-year-old Argentinian international. This free loan from Botafogo, another club owned by John Textor, would make it possible to strengthen the squad without impacting the club’s accounts.
The outcome of this day could be decisive for the future of Olympique Lyonnais, both financially and sportingly.
