Olympique Lyon, 7-time French champions, relegated due to financial irregularities
Seven time French champions Olympique Lyon have been relegated from Ligue 1, French football's financial watchdog (DNCG) said on Tuesday, Juune 24, following an audit of the club. Lyon were provisionally demoted by the DNCG in November due to the poor state of their finances and the decision was confirmed on Tuesday after a meeting between club owner John Textor and the DNCG.advertisementThe club has said that it would appeal the decision immediately. Speaking via a statement, the club criticised the decision and said it had worked closely with the DNCG, satisfying all their requests."Olympique Lyonnais takes note of the incomprehensible decision handed down by the DNCG this evening and confirms that it will appeal immediately," the club said.
"With demonstrated funds and sporting success that has earned us a place in European competition two years running, we sincerely fail to understand how an administrative decision could relegate such a great French club." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fabrizio Romano (@fabriziorom)The decision to relegate Lyon comes a day after US businessman Textor sold a 43% stake in English club Crystal Palace.advertisement"Thanks to the equity contributions from our shareholders and the sale of Crystal Palace, our cash position has improved considerably and we have more than sufficient resources for the 2025/26 season," the Lyon statement added.In October, Eagle Football Group, led by John Textor, disclosed debts amounting to approximately 422 million ($574.85 million), raising serious concerns about the financial stability of Olympique Lyonnais.Since then, the club has sought to improve its financial standing by selling several players, including Maxence Caqueret to Como and Rayan Cherki to Manchester City. Despite these efforts, Lyon has so far failed to convince the relevant authorities that its financial health has recovered enough to lift existing sanctions.Ahead of the official ruling, the 59-year-old Textor expressed optimism about the club's finances.'You can see from our shareholders' contributions that we've injected new capital—not only to satisfy the DNCG, but also to meet UEFA licensing requirements. And with the recent sale of Crystal Palace, our liquidity has significantly improved,' he told reporters on Tuesday.Lyon, who won seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles between 2002 and 2008, secured a Europa League berth for next season after finishing sixth in the league. However, if the decision to uphold sanctions remains in place, Stade de Reims—relegated after a playoff defeat to Metz—could take Lyon's place in Ligue 1 next season.As of now, neither Reims nor the French football governing body (LFP) has issued an official comment.- Ends
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