Olympique Lyon will be allowed to continue playing in Ligue 1 next season. The former serial champions’ forced relegation has been overturned by an appeals committee.
The worst-case scenario has been averted: Olympique Lyon will not be forced to relegate after all. This was announced by the French Football Federation (FFF) on Wednesday afternoon. The appeals committee of the National Control and Management Directorate (DNCG) revoked the administrative demotion of the club, which had been imposed by the directorate on June 24. Lyon had already announced at the time that it would appeal – and has now been successful.
According to French media reports, the hearing on Wednesday morning lasted more than two and a half hours, with those responsible leaving the premises without comment. The association did not comment on the reasons for the decision in its brief statement. However, OL will only be allowed to remain in the league under certain conditions: for the coming season, the amount Lyon can spend on salaries and transfers will be limited. However, the club will still be allowed to make transfers.
“Olympique Lyon is delighted with today’s decision by the DNCG to keep the club in Ligue 1,” said an initial statement on the OL website. The club thanked the appeals committee “for recognizing the ambition of the new club management, which is determined to ensure sound business management in the future.”
After the club was relegated in the first instance, club owner and president John Textor announced his resignation, and Michele Kang, the former head of the women’s team, took over as president. She is supported by managing director Michael Gerlinger, a German who worked for FC Bayern, among others, before joining Textor’s Eagle Football Holding. According to OL’s statement, the two have convinced the supervisory authority that the club has the necessary funds for the coming season.
Crystal Palace and Reims left empty-handed
“Today’s decision is the first step toward restoring confidence in Olympique Lyon,” the club statement continued. “We can now focus our attention on our sporting objectives by preparing thoroughly for the next season.” Lyon will not only be able to compete in Ligue 1, but also, in all likelihood, in the Europa League, for which the team had qualified on sporting grounds, according to the deal with UEFA.
Conversely, Crystal Palace will probably miss out. The English club, which also belongs to Eagle Football Holding, had also qualified for the Europa League via the FA Cup, but due to UEFA’s “multi-club ownership” regulations, it can only compete if Lyon is stripped of its right to participate. The association had recently postponed the decision and linked it to the final decision on the forced relegation.
Also affected by the decision in favor of Lyon is Stade Reims, which was relegated from Ligue 1 on sporting grounds but would have been allowed to remain in Ligue 1 in the event of OL’s forced relegation.
