By causing the departure of Jean-Michel Aulas before the end of the season, John Textor has not only made friends at Olympique Lyonnais. The decision of the American owner greatly displeased the women’s section, affected in one of the most important moments of the exercise.
Olympique Lyonnais and its supporters are still struggling to recover. After 36 years at the helm, Jean-Michel Aulas suddenly left without even waiting for the end of the season. The owner John Textor has indeed caused the hasty exit of the former president. And too bad for the consequences on the sporting level.
The worst timing for OL Women
Of course, this decision does not explain the failure of Les Gones in the race for European places. But coach Laurent Blanc has publicly denounced the turmoil of recent weeks. And the regrets are even greater within the women’s team. Les Fenottes, very attached to the man who has contributed so much to the development of women’s football in France, had to deal with his surprise departure when preparing for the final of the Coupe de France against Paris Saint-Germain (2-1) on 13 last May.
(📺LIVE) 🏆⚽️ #French Cup female
🤩 Wendie Renard raises with Jean-Michel Aulas the 10th French Cup in the history of France@OLfeminin !#femalesport pic.twitter.com/iS01piz73R— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) May 13, 2023
” I don’t think people imagine what we had to go through in terms of emotions, with the timing of the announcement of Jean-Michel Aulas’ departurereacted the Rhone coach Sonia Bompastor in Le Progrès. We really had to protect the group. And it was very difficult, individually and collectively. Yes, there was a lot of affection. This announcement was violent, we took it head on. We could expect changes this summer, but there, a few weeks before the end of the season, it was brutal. We had to ignore it, because there were still sporting issues at that time, and we had to keep our energy. To pay tribute to JMA, the Lyonnaises still found the resources to win.
