Lyon appeal relegation to Ligue 2 by financial regulator
John Textor took over as Lyon's majority owner in 2022 (CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU)
Seven-time Ligue 1 champions Lyon said on Tuesday they would appeal their relegation to the second-tier by French football's financial watchdog.
At a hearing earlier in the day, Lyon were unable to convince the regulator (DNCG) to lift the restrictions it had put on the club in November.
Advertisement
"Over the past few months, we have worked closely with the DNCG, meeting all of its demands with equity investments exceeding the amounts requested," the club said in a statement."
After the meeting, Lyon's president John Textor said he remained confident of avoiding the drop to Ligue 2 for next season, where the club has not played since 1989.
"Our liquidity situation has improved considerably," he said.
American Textor took over as Lyon's majority owner in December 2022 from long-standing boss Jean-Michel Aulas, who had overseen unprecedented success at the French outfit.
Advertisement
Textor, 59, also holds stakes in Brazilian side Botafoga, Belgian club Molenbeek. Earlier this week he sold his 43 percent stake in Premier League outfit Crystal Palace.
According to the BBC, they were sold for 190 million pounds to Woody Johnson, the owner of the NFL's New York Jets.
Lyon have reduced their salary bill with attacker Alexandre Lacazette and goalkeeper Anthony Lopes released.
They have sold Rayan Cherki to Manchester City and Maxence Caqueret to Como.
Textor said his Eagle group has also put 83 million euros into the club.
"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 2025-2026 season," said the club statement.
Advertisement
- 'Sadness' -
Lyon qualified for next season's Europa League after finishing sixth in the French top-flight.
If their relegation is confirmed, they would be replaced in Ligue 1 by Reims.
Lyon won seven consecutive French titles between 2002 and 2008, under Aulas.
"It's a terrible blow to all those who love Lyon" Aulas said on X on Tuesday.
"For 36 years I made sure that such a situation could not happen.
"I gave everything to build a solid, respected, ambitious club that was financially healthy.
"Today, it's sadness that dominates. And an immense failure to understand," the 76-year-old added.
Only five clubs have won Ligue 1 more often. Paris Saint-Germain hold the record with 13 titles.
Lyon are set to begin their pre-season on July 7.
eba/hpa/iwd/pb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cardoso scores career-high 27, Reese has a double-double as the Sky rallies past the Sparks 97-86
CHICAGO (AP) — Kamilia Cardoso scored a career-high 27 points, Angel Reese had a double-double and the Chicago Sky beat the Los Angeles Sparks 97-86 on Tuesday night. Reese finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Ariel Atkins scored 13 points for the Sky (4-10). Advertisement Chicago took its first lead, 74-72, at 7:23 of the fourth quarter on a driving layup by Cardoso and outscored Los Angeles 30-17 in the final period. Azura Stevens scored 21 points and Kelsey Plum added 20 for the Sparks (4-11), who lost their fourth straight. Dearica Hamby had 15 points and Rickea Jackson 11. Cardoso followed her tiebreaking basket with a short jumper, and moments later added a free throw to make it 77-72, and Chicago's lead increased from there. Cardoso will miss the next four games playing for her Brazilian national team at a tournament in Chile. The Sky also announced veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot had successful ACL surgery on her right knee. Advertisement The Sparks took control early, jumping out to a 10-2 lead in less than 90 seconds and had a 27-17 advantage after one quarter. Chicago cut the deficit to 31-28 early in the second quarter before the Sparks surged again, going up 44-32 . The Sky rallied again, getting within 48-42 at halftime. In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Rebecca Allen hit a 3-pointer and a runner, tying the score at 65 and 67, but the Sky never led. Plum's basket in the last minute of the third gave the Sparks a 69-67 lead heading into the fourth. ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea east past Esperance and into Club World Cup last 16
Liam Delap (R) celebrates after scoring his first Chelsea goal in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Esperance at the Club World Cup (FRANCK FIFE) Liam Delap scored his first Chelsea goal in a 3-0 win over Tunisian champions Esperance on Tuesday which took the Blues through to the last 16 of the Club World Cup. A game played in sweaty conditions at the end of a blisteringly hot day in Philadelphia never really came to life and was decided by two goals scored in first-half stoppage time by Tosin Adarabioyo and then Delap. Advertisement Tyrique George added the third in injury time at the end of the game and the victory, achieved in front of 32,937 fans at Lincoln Financial Field, allowed Enzo Maresca's side to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Flamengo last Friday. Chelsea therefore clinched second place in Group D behind the Brazilian giants while Esperance are eliminated. Chelsea will now travel south to Charlotte in North Carolina to face Benfica on Saturday, with the Portuguese club having earlier beaten Bayern Munich to top Group C. That will be a first meeting of the clubs since Chelsea beat Benfica in the 2013 Europa League final, and the winner of that tie will play either Palmeiras or Botafogo of Brazil in the last eight. Advertisement Chelsea only needed a draw to advance and Maresca felt comfortable enough to make eight changes to his starting line-up following the Flamengo defeat. Delap, Enzo Fernandez and Malo Gusto were the only players to keep their places while Josh Acheampong was among the lesser-seen faces to get a chance. The 19-year-old right-back, making his 10th start in all competitions this season, came close with a shot saved low down by Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said on 36 minutes. Fernandez then shot wide from the edge of the box as Chelsea controlled the first half without overly troubling the Tunisian defence until the third minute of stoppage time. Advertisement That was when Fernandez floated a free-kick into the area and Adarabioyo, up from the back, scored with a header into the bottom corner. Esperance needed to win the game and their hopes were as good as over as Chelsea scored again two minutes later. Fernandez, formerly of Benfica, was again the provider as he fed Delap, and the new signing from Ipswich Town controlled with his back to goal, turned and slotted a low shot into the net to get off the mark in his new colours. With temperatures still hovering close to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) late into the evening, conditions remained far from easy for the two sides. Advertisement Both teams made changes, with defender Mamadou Sarr and Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos getting their first Chelsea minutes since joining from Strasbourg. Chelsea thought they had a penalty 15 minutes from time when the referee pointed to the spot as a Santos shot brushed the hand of Yassine Meriah -- but the award was overturned following a long VAR check. A third goal did finally arrive deep in injury time at the end of the game as George, another substitute, found the net with a shot that the goalkeeper should have kept out. as/rcw
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Toy and game prices rise at the fastest rate on record as Trump's tariffs on China hit industry hard
The cost of toys and games is rising at a record rate as the industry begins to feel the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on China. While inflation held steady last month at 0.1 percent, the price of toys, games and playground equipment saw a rise of 2.2 percent between April and May, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest figures capture the period after Trump unveiled his global reciprocal tariffs in April, and while the full impact is yet to appear in the data, experts say it's a gloomy indication of what's to come for the toy industry. After months of back and forth, tariffs on Chinese imports – which at one point rocketed to 145 percent – are currently at 30 percent until mid-August. Nearly 80 percent of the toys sold in the U.S. are sourced from China, according to The Toy Association, and the industry is bracing itself. Isaac Larian, chief executive of MGA Entertainment, which manufactures brands including Bratz and Little Tikes, told The Washington Post that inflation 'is only just starting.' 'There's going to be a domino effect: You're going to see prices go even higher,' Larian said. 'You're going to see empty shelves and a lack of innovation.' Trump acknowledged that his tariffs could lead to higher prices or less inventory. 'Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,' he said in April. He also suggested those two dolls could 'cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.' Some toy makers say they have no choice but to pass on the tariffs to customers. 'It's a tough situation,' Scott Clarke, the president of Douglas, which sells stuffed toy animals, told The Post. 'We've absorbed some of the tariffs, but there's only so much we can do. Ultimately, this is a tax on American businesses, and it's the consumer that's having to pay.' Last month Mattel, the creator of Barbie, Hot Wheels, Uno, American Girl and more, was threatened by Trump for refusing to move its production to the U.S. – the ultimate goal of the president's tariffs. Ynon Kreiz, the chairman and CEO of Mattel, told CNBC it was unlikely the company would move production to the U.S as a result of tariffs; preferring instead to diversify production to other countries or just raise prices on U.S. consumers. 'That's ok. Let him go, and we'll put a 100 percent tariff on his toy, and he won't sell one toy in the United States, and that's their biggest market,' Trump said. Greg Ahearn, president and CEO of The Toy Association, previously said that price increases of 15 percent to 20 percent are expected on games, dolls, cars and other toys by the back-to-school shopping season. The price range that U.S. consumers are willing to pay is anywhere from $4.99 to $19.99, leaving little wiggle room to raise prices, he said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
