“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”, in particular the National Directorate of Management Control ( DNCG), the financial policeman 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 boss of a TV channel directly involved in the discussion,” continued the Lyon leader, denouncing “a lot of intimidation” in the face of with “discordant voices”.
“The influence of PSG on the League and the DNCG must be looked at more closely”
“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,” he said.
“Nasser tells everyone that he is helping 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 for it,” was surprised Mr. Textor, who took advantage to reveal that Rayan Cherki “wanted to go to PSG last year”.
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“It’s totally crazy to think that. I invite him to follow European law and stop these clubs from receiving unlimited funding from foreign states while all other French clubs compete with their own funds,” said the OL president.
According to him, to improve the Ligue 1 product which he finds “bad”, we must “tell stories” around the clubs, the people, the players. “The NBA does this very well with links to sport, fashion, music, culture. We should do something like this in football. The product we show to the world must be sexy. In addition, everyone loves France,” he recommended.
