Lyon. After the explosive exit of Textor, the Football policeman pays off the boss of OL

The DNCG, the financial policeman of professional Football French, denounced this Tuesday January 14, 2025 “unfounded assertions” after being the target of virulent attacks from the president of Olympique Lyonnais, John Textor.

The latter had estimated the day before that the body lacked independence and was “ sous l’influence of PSG“.

An explosive exit

In an interview given to RMC and broadcast on Monday, the owner of OL pointed the finger at the “institutional protection” of PSG. He had also crushed the boss of the Professional Football League, Vincent Labrune, treated as “little doggie” by Nasser al-Khelaifithe boss of the capital club.

John Textor also explained that “the influence of PSG on the League and the DNCG needed to be looked at more closely”.

The DNCG counterattacks

“These assertions, which are completely unfounded, obscure reality of a financial situation which calls for concrete and credible solutions”, wrote the National Directorate of Management Control in a press release sent to theAFP.

“Mr. Textor’s statements on the alleged attachment of the DNCG to the League, or on discriminatory treatment towards Olympique Lyonnais, testify toa clear lack of knowledge and persistent rules of operation of the financial regulation of professional football in France”, added the body, which had sanctioned OL in October with a recruitment ban and had regulated its payroll while deciding on a demotion as a precautionary measure at the end of the season.

The ban on recruitment of the club and the control of its payroll were confirmed Friday by the appeal committee of the French Football Federation.

“Contributions from non-EU sovereign funds are compliant”

“Since the arrival of Mr. Textor, the DNCG has deployed considerable efforts to establish a constructive dialogue with the new management of Olympique Lyonnais (…) Our teams took care to explain the laws and regulations, and more particularly French ones, while providing clarifications on the resulting expectations. We regret that, despite this unprecedented support, Mr. Textor persists in wanting to believe that the DNCG has misunderstood its model and applied unfair treatment to OL,” the DNCG also continues in its press release.

Concerning Textor’s criticism of PSG, owned by Qatar, and “unlimited financing from foreign states”, the DNCG was keen to point out that “contributions from non-EU sovereign funds are compliant applicable law”, inviting the Lyon manager “to concentrate his efforts on implementing the necessary measures to restore a healthy financial situation” for his club.

With AFP

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