Lyon is in shock. Consequence of the administrative demotion pronounced by the DNCG against Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday, after the examination of the accounts of the Rhone club by the financial gendarme of the League. And if OL has already announced that it has appealed, the concern is great among the former players of the club.
After Sydney Govou, who fears nothing less than the disappearance of the seven -time French champion, it was Raymond Domenech, former OL defender and coach, who expressed his concern but also his “sadness” in the face of the situation of the Rhone club.
“There was everything in Lyon, we didn't need a pension fund. There was everything in Lyon to make OL remains a big club, he thus entrusted to The team. What happened in other clubs, will still arrive in other clubs, because we are in a financial strategy and more in a sports strategy. »»
And the former coach of the French team to castigate the strategy of John Textor and his teams since the club's acquisition, in December 2022. Or rather the absence of strategy, at least sporty. In his eyes, the American businessman and the investors who accompany him have only one objective: “Make money. »»
“They have invested in making money”
“These are funds that come to make money, just profitability. There is no longer any policy, there is no longer any strategy, there is no more club heart. They invested in making money hoping to resell in four, five or six years ”, he castigated, adding: “It is not surprising that it happens because it is not a real sports policy for construction. They killed the training center, they sold women's football, they sold the room next to it (LDLC Arena). Everything that was profitable, they cut it into rings. »»
However, for Raymond Domenech, John Textor is not the first responsible for this situation. “Whether textor or another, it will be the same. It is not Textor that decides, it is the American fund (ARES). For them, a policy of financial profitability must be conducted. And the one who will be in place will be there for that. They do not understand that a football club, it is not a company like any other, it is not just a financial report every year. It is built, it takes time ”, he said.
