Jean-Michel Aulas Le Progres Interview (August 30, 2023)
Blah blah standard disclaimers apply; this heat wave is killing my AC bill @OL Comms pls do something, etc etc.
Translating this because I can feel in my arthritic bones that people with Tumblr JDs and/or Tumblr Masters in Finance will suddenly declare themselves experts in both Lyon matters and French legal affairs.
Alexa, play "Vigilante Shit" by Taylor Swift
Jean-Michel Aulas: "If anyone has been wronged, it's me"
The Holnest company, owned by Jean-Michel Aulas, has started a legal proceeding in front of the City of Lyon Commerce Tribunal and achieved a hold of approximately 14.5 million euros from the club's account. The former president of Olympique Lyonnais gives his version of events on the conflict with John Textor.
Why bring a case against Olympique Lyonnais to the Commerce Tribunal?
It's not against Olympique Lyonnais but against Eagle. I just wish to receive the amount owed to me. We signed an agreement where you would sell a third of your shares on August 10 and the remaining two thirds a year later. I'm therefore in a situation where when one is not respecting the terms, and the only path forward is to go in front of the commerce tribunal. If anyone has been wronged, it's me.
Your successors feel as though you are acting against the club's interests.
I serve every time I am asked to. I found a solution for the DNGG [Financial Watchdog], but John [Textor] did the exact opposite and was sanctioned. I respect everything I am asked to do.
They say that you froze the club's accounts for seven days in the middle of the transfer season.
That's not what happened. I am owed 14,5M euros since August 10, so we put Eagle on notice to pay us via OL Groupe. They responded they couldn't do that. We pushed back and wanted to make sure there was enough money in the accounts. We quickly learned that that there was an account with more than the sum owed. John Textor then asked me to unfreeze the other accounts, I did that that very night. My interest is that Lyon continues to develop and gets back to its top form.
Santiago Cucci said that you had him over for dinner without telling him that you were going to freeze the accounts the next day.
It was 48 hours later. We didn't speak about that, he came to see me to find out how the transaction with Michele Kang could take place. [Note: Kang being in contact with Aulas more than Textor is both good and bad]
So you deny then acting against Olympique Lyonnais?
When I accepted that an investor come in, it was so that we could do much better than I had done the two previous years. It's terrible that people are accusing me of acting against Lyon. I am going abasing the investor who was chosen by Pathe and IDF and who was supposed to bring hundreds of millions [of euros]. I'm concerned that he will look for any excuse to save money by not paying any single person. We'll go in front of the tribunal if he doesn't intend on paying me.
Will you still be a Lyon fan?
Never will I support another club. I will die thinking of Lyon. I hope that we won't have to enter into a litigation dispute. But when I see that we were forced to bring in a Danish player via Belgium [In order to get around the financial watchdog sanctions, Textor's Belgian club bought a player and then sent him to Lyon on loan], I'm scared for my club.
Will you try and retake control of the club?
It's unimaginable. I want to be in charge of women's football at the [French Football] Federation.
Will you take part in the match against PSG?
I will be at the stadium on Sunday, even if they won't give me a place in the presidential loge which I am allowed as an administrator. I will get [a place] because Holnest has bought a lot, as they do each year.
