OL: Jean-Michel Aulas claims 117.7 million euros in compensation from the League

The Lyon president has decidedly a continuation of ideas. Since the final judgment of the Ligue 1 championship, pronounced on April 30, 2020 on the decision of the government two days earlier, Jean-Michel Aulas has not ceased to denounce a decision deemed premature in his eyes and to stir heaven and earth to obtain, in vain, a resumption of the competition.

This Wednesday, according to our information, he claimed compensation of € 117.7 million in compensation for the damage he considers to have suffered corresponding to the premature end of the championship and the approval of the quotient classification, as well as to the loss of chance to improve its ranking and to qualify for European competitions for the 2020-2021 season.

OL does not explain in its claim for compensation what could be the illegality committed by the LFP capable of constituting a fault liable to engage its liability. The instance forwarded this complaint to its lawyer. This written request is unlikely to succeed. It caused, however, some stir among most L1 clubs because the compensation would then have to be taken from the TV rights.

The decision to stop Ligue 1, when almost all of the other European championships have been able to resume and go to an end, therefore still does not pass. JMA, interviewed in the columns of Progress in August, had once again attacked the League. “The stopping of the L1 is decreed when we are seventh to ten days from the end. There were 30 points remaining. This save is an absolute scandal […] It’s a deep injustice and I won’t forgive it […] The injury from stopping L1 is present. Our hearts bleed every day from that… ”

No European Cup this season

Lyon lost the Coupe de la Ligue final against PSG on July 31 (0-0, 6 tab to 5), before completing a convincing journey in the Champions League interrupted in the semi-final against Bayern Munich, future winner of Final 8 (3-0). These two failures are synonymous for OL’s non-participation in a European competition for this season. This is a first for the Rhone club since 1997 as the imprint of a fairly chaotic season, marked by major upheavals at the head of the club, between changes of coaches (Bruno Genesio, then Sylvinho, then Rudi Garcia) and sports management (arrival of Juninho).

As a reminder, the League’s board of directors chose on April 30 to validate the ranking of the 28th day of the season, the last played to date, by applying the quotient method (ratio of number of games played – points taken), Strasbourg – PSG having been postponed at the time.

At the 28th day, Lyon was 7th, out of the nails for a European qualification. Some preferred to stop on day 27, the last fully disputed in Ligue 1. Lyon was 5th at the 27th stage of the championship. But some presidents did not want to give this gift to Aulas, who has exasperated them for years and even more since the start of the health crisis with its multiple proposals, between the white season and the playoffs to end the season.