Following a meeting with the DNCG, Lyon have been relegated to Ligue 2, the LFP have confirmed in an official statement. Les Gones were handed a provisional relegation during the last meeting with the French football financial body on the basis that if their financial situation didn’t improve, they would be relegated to the French second tier.
Eagle Football Group, the consortium which owns OL, have pulled multiple financial levers to try and convince the DNCG that the financial situation had drastically improved, including the sale of John Textor’s stake in Crystal Palace and Lyon’s women’s team. However, this has not satisfied the requirements needed.
This development occurs despite OL’s owner, Textor, sounding positive about the potential outcome following the meeting. He revealed to the press that the Rhône club’s financial situation had improved and that he was happy with the meeting. Speaking to the press, Textor said, “You can see from the contributions of our shareholders, we have invested new capital, not only for the DNCG, but also for our UEFA licensing process. Not to mention the good news of the sale of Crystal Palace. Our liquidity situation has improved considerably.” Lyon will now be forced to play their football in the second tier next season.
