John Textor leaves OL not without slipping a tackle supported to the DNCG, whom he accuses of restraining his freedom of action.
John Textor withdraws. This Monday, Olympique Lyonnais formalized a major turning point in its governance. The American businessman leaves his management office in the Rhone club. Michele Kang, already a member of the OL board since 2023, thus became president of the club and CEO of Eagle Football Group. She will be supported by Michael Gerlinger, new managing director of the club and former Eagle Football sports director.
Behind this strategic change, a deep dispute seems to have weighed in the decision: the tense relationships between John Textor and the DNCG. The financial gendarme of French football had put OL in recent months in recent months, with demotion to Ligue 2 and budgetary requirements. Textor, known for his outspokenness, has several times criticized the rigor and the lack of flexibility of the body, suggesting that these constraints brake the ambitions of Eagle Football in France.
In the press release published on Monday, Eagle Football clearly indicated that Michele Kang will now pilot the appeal filed by OL with the DNCG. This mission will be one of the first major files on its desk. Very involved in the development of women's football in Washington and recently active in OL, Kang will have to demonstrate his ability to restore financial stability to the club and reassure French authorities.
A lack of freedom?
For his part, John Textor seems relieved to turn the Lyonnaise page. “I can't wait to focus on markets where we are freedom to manage our clubs”he said in a sharp statement. A barely veiled way of pointing to the limits he considers imposed by the French system. From now on, the American wishes to refocus his energy on Botafogo (Brazil), Daring Brussels (Belgium) and a new acquisition project in England.
This departure thus announces the end of a mandate marked by repeated tensions with the DNCG, a sometimes muddled communication and an overwhelmed image with supporters. If Michele Kang embodies a new era, his success will go through his ability to straighten the bar economically and restore a more constructive dialogue with French authorities.
