supporters are instead in favor of ending the Textor project
Started almost 6 months ago, discussions between OL and John Textor have not been successful, although the situation seems to have been resolved in a positive way recently. Among the supporters, we seem to be in favor of abandoning the project.
On June 21, Jean Michel Aulas and John Textor has revealed with gusto the takeover project of the businessman and his company Eagle Football. Six months later, and after many delays, the American is still not the majority shareholder of OL. The situation certainly seems to be developing in a positive direction for the sale, but nothing is official yet. This soap opera is clearly starting to annoy the Lyon supporters, who are waiting to know the outcome of this story.
#OL and #Texterstop or again??
Why do you want to leave this project?
Or on the contrary, why do you continue to believe in the American?
Answer the survey and comment, a member of the editorial staff will contact you for an upcoming article ?
– Olympic-and-Lyonnais (@oetl) December 9, 2022
To back up our words, we launched a poll on our Twitter account (see above). It received more than 1500 votes. With 83.4%, Rhone fans are in favor of stopping discussions between the club and John Textor. 16.6% want the exchanges to continue. We also interviewed you to find out more precisely your motivations and your perspective on this topic.
In the picture ofAntoine Boquier24, supporters show themselves, for the most part, in favor of abandoning the Eagle Football project. “Negotiations must be stopped. Americans usually come to make money and for months we have seen the incompetence of the character in all these reports. By finding money from right to left, it is never encouraging”, he says. A statement proved by Haydara fan in his twenties. “This Textor is not good enough to take over OL, it is better to cancel this sale and conduct a new call for tenders rather than rely on someone who depends on other people’s money.”
The many postponements and the financial package are worrying
Romain Painsec hope this operation can be done “with others”. “Between reports and how John Textor He wants financing for this project, it’s not good. The club is doomed. If he is really motivated, it will be months since the acquisition is validated. What do OL leaders do in this case? We have the impression that they are suffering the event and have nothing to say, asked the 26-year-old supporter. As a businessman, Jean-Michel Aulas must have found this story completely fishy.”
Loyal readers of our media, the so-called Juninho Pernambucano in Olympic-at-Lyonnais told him “Stop for a long time. That we borrow from funds (in any case, that’s what Textor does so it will come to the same thing) and that we give time to find a real serious buyer”He suggests. Adrianoa Lyonnais fan for more than 15 years, thinks that “The club’s problem is deeper. This sale corresponds to a bandage on a wooden leg. Textor comes in who doesn’t really put money into depending on other big groups who have to pay back no matter what, the infrastructure will be the first to be affected and it’s obviously sad to build it all to ashes otherwise. many hours, he regrets. This disastrous operation is quite simply a reflection of the disastrous management of the leaders for several years.”
The communication of different actors is individualized
Speaking of the OL staff, the latter, like the American investor, was singled out for its communication in recent months. The speeches and subsequent press releases clearly resonated with some supporters. “I aim more for the communication of the Olympique Lyonnais than John Textor in the background, I see the lunar a conference as important as the one made (in the month of June) occurred before everything was closed. There is, in my opinion, a mistake on this subject, appreciated Amine Hadouche28 years old. Regardless of the deal, as long as nothing is initialed and signed, anything can happen and I find it very curious that a club like Lyon does not anticipate all scenarios. His image takes a hit, sometimes not custom. There is frustration and concern.“In Facebook, Djé Berger is gone confessed that he would like to see the two main players in this acquisition clearly express themselves on the subject “We’re lost, we don’t know anything and it’s taking over our heads”he insisted.
avid reader ofO&LOL Victory shared his opinion. “The main problem in this matter is the disastrous communication of Jean-Michel Aulas through the club, he says. He himself did what everyone in football knows not to do, burn the bear skin before he sells it. Poor Textor bear finds himself exposed as the deadlines imposed by the creditors and then the English league through Crystal Palace is arguably completely normal. His capital of confidence among the supporters is close to zero and Aulas is mainly responsible for this.”
Thomasa subscriber to Le Virage nord since 2014, does not forget the role of other sellers, IDG and Pathé. “In my opinion, this is more of a miscommunication, and the fault of Pathé / IDG, which was too hasty and perhaps asked for a large price. It’s still a bit of a blur and the fact that OL is still listed on the stock exchange obliges the club to communicate regularly. With John Textor, I think we are too few to know what will be judged in the end”his nuances.
Some supporters are asking for patience
Because if the businessman from the United States is not necessarily united with the fans, some, as we indicated above, continue to believe in this acquisition. “Despite appearances, the Textor project seems related to me and its funding has been approvedRemember Erwan Noel37 years old and supporter of the Rhone since the 2000s. OL’s case is good with its debt reduction and the money will be available immediately. Crystal Palace shareholders’ approval for the transfer of Textor’s shares to Eagle Football is pending and that is not dependent on Lyon. According to the latest press release, which is quite reassuring, he appears confident that he will be able to get this agreement quickly, which will allow the operation to be completed. It takes patience.”
For David34 years old and also experienced the good years of his team at heart, “It’s too late to see if there was a casting error or notdoes he think As of June 21 and the formalization of the sale, OL and its shareholders no longer have the option to sell their shares to John Textor. The agreement with him was to increase the capital by €86 million and he bought back the share at €3. If the sale is not made, we will start looking for an investor (for less than €3) with negotiations lasting several months, as well as another loan for the club with a high rate to increase the capital . So at moment T, the best thing is to sell to Textor. Is this a good thing? We will see over time and during the purchase how he made his financial arrangement to be able to judge.”
On our site, Philip he also said he was in favor of Eagle Football coming to the Lyon scene. “However, Pathé and IDG want to sell, so stopping the current process will only prolong the period of uncertainty to ultimately lead to shareholder changes. What also seems good to me about this project is that its plan recapitalize and fully deleverage OL, although it has not demonstrated all the terms of this last point. That does not mean that he will invest heavily behind it, but it solves the problem of immediate deadlines of payment and brings peace of mind. Then, he doesn’t seem like a moron, he has experience owning a football club, he has a reputation for delegating, he teaches. I think, unlike many, that Jean Michel Aulas at least three years of the presidency will be fine, and therefore it is not the continuation of projects and not a revolution on a daily basis.”
An acquisition that will leave a mark
that’s it John Textor Be it owner or not of Olympique Lyonnais, these last months will leave their mark on all strata of the institution. In June, in a previous poll, the supporters had already expressed, in a lower dose, their doubts about the potential buyer in the future and the recent developments were definitely not in his favor.
