With the club’s transfer business and wage bill being monitored this summer, John Textor would have been hoping for a smoother start to his reign as Lyon boss.
The DNCG – French football’s financial watchdog – took the decision to sanction Les Gones over what they saw as a lack of guarantees in the budget presented by the club for next season. The ruling was confirmed after Lyon saw their appeal rejected last week.
According to today’s L’Équipe, Lyon potentially avoided an even harsher sanction, as an administrative relegation to the second tier was a possibility, at least until Textor put forward the guarantees requested by the DNCG. L’Équipe add that the watchdog had sent an email dated June 17, asking the American businessman to inject €60m into the club ahead of their hearing.
The French outlet indicates that several factors came into play in the DNCG’s decision not to relegate Lyon. First of all, they wanted to avoid overburdening a foreign investor who was not necessarily au fait with the financial ins and outs of French football. The club’s standing as one of the league’s most prestigious clubs was also taken into account, as well as the fact that OL is set to be the team with the third-highest payout from Ligue 1’s deal with investment fund CVC. The DNCG was reached for comment by L’Équipe but did not respond.
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin
