Between John Textor and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the gap continues to widen. In an explosive interview given to RMC Sport, the owner of Olympique Lyonnais increased the criticism against the president of PSG. From the latter’s influence on French football authorities to its role in the League, Textor has spared no area, going so far as to denounce a form of abusive domination which he considers “intolerable”.
“A little doggy” and serious accusations
At the heart of his statements, a meeting held in July at the Professional Football League, where Nasser Al-Khelaïfi would, according to Textor, take the reins of discussions on TV rights.
“It was Nasser who led the debates, although he should not even have been there, as the head of a television channel directly concerned,” he denounced. He does not hesitate to describe Vincent Labrune, president of the LFP, as “little doggie” faced with the influence exercised by Al-Khelaïfi : “If there was a discordant voice, Nasser would bark at that person.”
Textor goes further by asserting that this domination goes beyond the walls of the LFP to reach the DNCG, which he accuses of a lack of independence vis-à-vis PSG and its president. For him, this body should be completely dissociated from the League:
“The DNCG should not belong to the League. She must be particularly careful to maintain her impartiality.”
Textor’s explosive accusations.
A break with PSG
The personal relationship between the two men also seems to be at an all-time low. Textor clearly expressed his refusal to sell key OL players to PSG until a sincere dialogue with Al-Khelaïfi is re-established: “I don’t want to sell a player like Rayan Cherki to Nasser until we shake hands, share a beer and decide together to help the French championship.”
This statement comes against a backdrop of growing tensions between the two clubs, exacerbated by the transfer of Bradley Barcola to PSG a year ago, which Textor has clearly still not digested.
Textor’s attack on the system
Beyond his personal differences with Al-Khelaïfi, John Textor denounces what he considers to be a stranglehold by PSG and Qatar on French football. By pointing the finger at beIN Sports, owned by Qatar, he broadens the debate to a more general criticism of the current ecosystem, where the interests of a club seem, according to him, to take precedence over sporting fairness.
With this new media release, Textor confirms its status as a leader without tongue in cheek, but these statements risk reviving tensions between Lyon and Paris in the weeks to come.
