Jean-Michel Aulas, former emblematic president of Olympique Lyonnais, went back to the niche on social networks after the publication of an article from the team. The daily had questioned its role in the delicate financial situation which led the DNCG to demarize the club in Ligue 2, before Michele Kang intervened to avoid administrative relegation. This link did not please Aulas, which vigorously defended its assessment on X.
Journalist Hugo Guillemet is at the heart of this controversy. Aulas sent him a virulent criticism: “Contrary to what HG wrote today, the sellers of Olg were Pathé and IDG with Raine!” JMA had chosen Foster Vilett and OL's good financial health was recognized by 36 years of DNCG satisfaction! So stop at Hugo demagoguery! »» A rant that echoes their old tensions, the ex-president having once called Guillemet as “Neighborhood journalist”a nickname that the latter has taken up with irony in his organic on X.
In the process, Edouard Hoffman, candidate for the town hall of Lyon, defended Aulas by criticizing the media treatment:
“I see that Hugo Guillemet spends his time wanting to discredit Jean-Michel Aulas. But since his promotional road-trip with Textor between Rio, London and the Bahamas, his connivance with Eagle is obvious. A journalist can have a point of view, not a mission. Credibility cannot be decreed. But she gets lost. »» This message was shared by Aulas himself, strengthening the offensive against the journalist and the daily.
JMA
To support his defense, JMA recalls key facts: “OL never in 36 years before the sale decided by IDG and Pathé had been taken up by the financial organization which has always done an excellent job, or by the Financial Fair Play of UEFA, moreover! »» One way to reaffirm that under its direction, the club has always been in good financial terms, and that the difficulties occurred after its release.
This controversy has rekindled the divisions among the Lyon supporters. Some salute the inheritance and longevity of Aulas, attributing it the success and stability of the club for decades. Others, on the other hand, criticize its lack of vigilance when the OL is sold, believing that the current financial setbacks could have been avoided with better anticipation.
