Olympique Lyonnais’ start of the 2023-24 season could hardly be worse. On the back of a winless pre-season and the monitoring of their transfer activity by the DNCG (Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion) – France’s football financial watchdog – Laurent Blanc’s side sold their two prized assets in youth products Castello Lukeba and Bradley Barcola whilst former owner and president Jean-Michel Aulas is planning to sue current Lyon boss John Textor for defamation.
On the pitch, Lyon are bottom of Ligue 1 after drawing one and losing three of their first four league games. The team’s nadir occurred on Sunday when Paris Saint-Germain won 4-1 at the Groupama Stadium against a sorry OL side. At the final whistle, the Lyon players faced the Bad Gones, the club’s ardent fan group, in an astonishing open-mic dressing down. Here’s what the group capo said to the team.
Lyon’s players are dressed down by the Bad Gones ultras in extraordinary fashion following their 4-1 home loss vs PSG:
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) September 3, 2023
“There were people who wore the Lyon shirt before you who gave everything for it. Don’t defile/smear it.” pic.twitter.com/Fozj0AyqsW
“To you, the 2023-24 Olympique Lyonnais squad, the message goes out to you, to some of you at least. To those who assume the status of dressing room leaders, the message is clear. If there are leaders in the dressing room, they have lost the right to keep quiet. You are wearing the Olympique Lyonnais jersey and you listen to us. You are the ones who wear the OL jersey. Others before you have worn it glorified it. You have no right to tarnish it.“
“Now that the transfer window has shut, the squad is here. We only ask one thing: [for us to] be on your side. But for this, you’ll have to earn it. We love and respect this jersey. We only ask to sing your names with love, not how we sang those of the little s**** that left the club in the last six months. We want to sing your names with respect and love. Because we know you play with your heart. But we expect you guys to respect our jersey, and to give your all on the pitch. And if we take a beating, we keep our heads high. Go OL!“
Olympique Lyonnais will return to the Groupama Stadium after the international break and host promising promoted side Le Havre on Sunday, September 17.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
