Fuming Lyon Lovers Scream "Textor Out!" over Forced Relegation of Champions
Lyon Fans' Upheaval after Relegation: Leading Players Express Discontent - Demonstrators vent their frustrations in Lyon following involuntary player termination - supporter uproar over high-profile talent
Who's stirring the pot now, creative-destructive John Textor? The Lyon FC faithful have had enough of your antics and want you booted out ASAP! It's a battle cry being heard all around the Rhone and Saone rivers with "Textor dehors" ("Textor out") posters unfurled across the Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière, near the Groupama Stadium, and on city bridges.
The die-hard Lotus Fans, known as "Bad Gones," feel that the American one-percenter is a false prophet who's never understood the soul of the club and never will. "John Textor was never the right man and never will be," they snarl, demanding that his creditors swoop in and take the reins of Olympique Lyonnais.
The French football financial watchdog, DNCG, has put the ‘gouche’ on a seven-time Ligue 1 champion with a revoked stay in the top division come next season. The team, marred with financial woes, has racked up €175 million in debt and countless other financial transgressions. The fans can hardly stomach this dirty deal, as Lyon once reigned supreme for seven straight seasons from 2002-2008 and made multiple deep runs in the Champions League, assembling an illustrious lineup of players worthy of the 'Best of France' moniker.
Textor has indeed expanded his ventures as a football mogul with ownership stakes in the likes of Botafogo in Brazil, RWD Molenbeek in Belgium, and recently English cup winners Crystal Palace. The latest business move may be worth a cool €25 million, but it could very well be a nightmarish addition to Lyon’s mounting problems.
The looming downgrade to Ligue 2 has set off a scavenger hunt among rival teams seeking to hoist Lyon's top talents onto their own rosters. Belgian sensation Malick Fofana (20) already has eyes on him, with FC Chelsea eager to snap him up, along with interested parties for Argentine national player Thiago Almada, Euro striker Georges Mikautadze, and ex-Bayern star Corentin Tolisso.
If you thought chess pieces were getting moved about to the tune of gaming the system, think again. It's a chess game, live and in technicolor, as the Lyon faithful refuse to roll over and accept their plummeting fortunes. They have enlisted a rallying cry, and something tells us that's just the beginning...
- Forced relegation
- Fan protest
- Lyon
- Football
- France
- Olympique Lyon
- Rivers
- Saone
- Commercialization of football teams
- ** French football finances**
- Ligue 2 aspiring teams
The furious Lyon community is demanding the removal of John Textor, accusing him of commercializing their beloved football club Olympique Lyonnais, which is facing forced relegation to Ligue 2, potentially leading to the exodus of their top talents to rival teams across Europe. Despite this grim situation, the community shows no signs of submission, protests continuing near the rivers Rhone and Saone, urging change in French football finances.
