John Textor becomes the majority shareholder of OL – Liberation

This time it’s the right one. The American holding company Eagle Football Holding managed by the multimillionaire John Textor became on Monday October 19 the majority shareholder of OL Groupe, which includes the football club Olympique Lyonnais, announced a press release from OL Groupe. “Completion of transactions with Eagle Football has now taken place“, Indicates the press release published after the closing of the Paris stock exchange, after six months of negotiations punctuated by several postponements.

After thirty-five years of presidency of Jean Michel Aulas, it should be the start of a new era for a club which has struggled to play the leading roles in the championship in recent years after a good period in the 2000s.

The seven-time French champion thus sees the arrival in his capital of a businessman already majority shareholder of Botafogo (Brazil), Molenbeek (Belgian D2) and present in the capital of Crystal Palace (English Premier League). OL will become the tenth Ligue 1 club under a foreign flag.

Exclusive negotiations for this operation valued at 800 million euros were initiated in June. The businessman, specializing in particular in online sports broadcasting, special effects and images of celebrities in virtual reality, takes control of the club, with the objective of bringing it back to the top after a season disappointing. “Seen from the United States, OL is the ideal platform for making football a success story”, had assured Textor last June, who wishes to allow the club to “find the highest level, in France and in Europe, while respecting the values ​​of OL’s DNA”.