Lyon relegated to French football’s second tier as November’s provisional relegation against club upheld by DNCG.
Seven-time French champions Lyon relegated to Ligue 2 over financial problems.
After failing to persuade authorities that their financial problems had been remedied, Lyon was demoted to Ligue 2. After accruing enormous debt, the seven-time French champions were given a provisional relegation in November. Despite selling several first-team players since then, the French football watchdog, the DNCG, upheld the relegation after meetings on Tuesday.
The French football league made the announcement Tuesday night. There will be no more action against Monaco, Nantes, or Paris FC.
The decision to demote a team that won seven straight titles between 2001–02 and 2007–08 and made it to the Champions League semi-finals as recently as 2020 will rock French football, even though Lyon has the option to appeal the decision.
After declaring in November that there was “no chance” the team would be demoted, club president John Textor told L’Équipe last week that he was certain the financial situation had been rectified.
Textor is currently selling his Crystal Palace stock, which could be denied a spot in the Europa League next season because Lyon qualified as well after placing sixth in Ligue 1. The NFL’s New York Jets owner, Woody Johnson, has agreed to buy the team, but the Premier League has not yet approved the agreement, and Johnson still needs to pass the league’s owners’ and directors’ test.
Lyon released players including Saïd Benrahma, Anthony Lopes, and Maxence Caqueret in January after being provisionally relegated last year. This summer, they sold Rayan Cherki to Manchester City.