John Textor, president-owner of Lyon, denounced Monday in an interview on RMC, the « protection » from which Paris SG benefits in French Football and crushed the boss of the League Vincent Labrune, treated as “little doggie” of Nasser al-Khelaifi.
“When I bought OL, I knew the situation in French football, but not the institutional protection enjoyed by a certain club and the power of a certain person over the authorities”notably the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG), the financial watchdog of French football, said Mr. Textor.
“In July (2024), I was shocked when we talked about TV rights. The president of the League (Vincent Labrune) who was to lead the debates said almost nothing, was there like a little dog. It was Nasser who led them even though he should not have been there as the head of a TV channel directly involved in the discussion.castigated Mr. Textor, denouncing “a lot of intimidation” facing the “discordant voices”.
These comments sparked a strong reaction from Paris SG. “It’s a shame that class and elegance cannot be bought because that would have prevented Mr. Textor from making a fool of himself through his crude and lying excesses against our President, our institution and our fans. May he come back to earth, and to France too, to better understand this Ligue 1 that we love so much”said the Parisian club in a press release
The Professional Football League has it “expressed surprise”emphasizing “several misunderstandings on the merits” from the boss of OL. “The meeting mentioned, in which John Textor took part, was a meeting of the Ligue 1 college chaired by Jean-Pierre Caillot and not a board of directors. The exchanges and debates are led by Jean-Pierre Caillot and not by Vincent Labrune. »
The Ligue 1 product is « nul »
John Textor further opined that “the influence of PSG on the League and the DNCG must be looked at more closely”.
“The DNCG must be particularly careful to maintain its independence from the League to which it should not belong”insisted the OL boss. On Friday, the body maintained the ban on Lyon recruiting, as well as the control of its payroll after a hearing.
-The LFP wanted to point out that “the DNCG is an independent institution, whose decisions and functioning are based on principles of autonomy and transparency”.
According to John Textor, Nasser al-Khelaifi “tells everyone that he helps French football. He is convinced that by buying our players, he is a bit like the center of the world in French football and that the crumbs he leaves are a help to it.. He also revealed that Lyon striker Rayan Cherki “wanted to go to PSG last year”.
“Let us stop with these clubs receiving unlimited funding from foreign states, while all other French clubs compete with their own funds”called the president of OL.
According to him, to improve the Ligue 1 product that he finds « nul »it’s necessary “tell stories” around clubs, people, players.
“The NBA does this very well by weaving links between sport, fashion, music, culture. We should do something similar to this in football. The product we show to the world must be sexy”he recommended.
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