(BFM Stock Exchange) – The financial gendarme of French football has decided to demote the Lyonnais club in Ligue 2, with regard to the fragility of its accounts. Its owner Eagle Football Group fell on the Paris Stock Exchange after this sanction.

It is a big thunderclap for Olympique Lyonnais which will, except miracle, evolve at the lower level next season. Tuesday, June 24, the National Management Control Directorate (DNCG) has indeed decided to relegate the seven-time champion of France in Ligue 2 for the 2025-2026 season. OL had not evolved at this football level since the 1988-1989 season.

A decision that provoked the ire supporters of the Rhone club. The Bad Gones, the main group of OL supporters, asked for the departure of John Textor, owner and president of the club, by deploying a banner “Textor outside!” throughout the city.

On the Paris Stock Exchange, the title of its owner since 2023 Eagle Football Group still cedes 2.75% at the end of the session this Wednesday, June 25, after having dropped 9.9% in reaction to this decision.

“We are more comfortable”

The French football finance gendarme made this decision after hearing John Textor. The latter was confident after this passage in front of the DNCG.

“We know that the DNCG is very aware of everything we have proposed, of all our options. You can see it thanks to the contributions of our shareholders, we have invested new capital, not only for the DNCG, but also for our process of granting UEFA licenses,” said John Textor according to our colleagues from RMC Sport.

“Without forgetting the good news of the sale of Crystal Palace. Our liquidity situation has improved considerably. We have considerably reduced our expenses, the wages of the players and the old contracts are terminated. So, in terms of profitability for next year, we are rather comfortable,” he continued.

But obviously, the club did not convince the DNCG. In November, Eagle Football Group received a first alert from the French football finance gendarme. OL was targeted by administrative demotion in Ligue 2 as a precaution.

In the meantime, OL was activated to show white leg to the DNCG. Over the past seven months, the Rhone club has saved, among other things, in its payroll, and in the sports field, it has completed its season in sixth place, qualifying for the Europa League.

A “incomprehensible” verdict

For the club, this relegation is “incomprehensible”. “In recent months, we have worked closely with the DNCG, satisfying all its requests with higher fund investments in the amounts requested,” said Eagle Football Group in its press release published on Tuesday evening.

“With demonstrated funds and a sporting success that has earned us a place in European competition two years in a row, we sincerely understand how an administrative decision was able to relegate such a large French club,” continued the group.

But for the DNCG the efforts made by the club were not sufficient enough. The cleaver fell as the OL finance state was not considered solid enough for the Rhone club to continue one more season in the elite of French football.

At the end of his first half, the accounts were in the red. At the end of December 2024, the group accused a gross operating loss of -46.1 million euros, which had widened compared to the same period in the previous year (-7.6 million euros), as well as a net loss of 116.9 million euros, against a deficit of 60.6 million euros at the end of December 2023.

Olympique Lyonnais sos “take note of the incomprehensible decision rendered by the DNCG” and confirms that it will immediately appeal to this sanction. Time is counted for OL to hope to maintain its place in the elite of French football.

The Rhone club has seven days from the day after the day of notification to appeal to the DNCG appeal commission. Once exhausted all the appeals in the event of confirmed demotion in the second instance, the Place de l’Ol would return to the Reims club, also explain our colleagues from RMC Sport.