Pending the result of its appeal following the DNCG’s decision to demot the club in Ligue 2, OL received excellent news from UEFA. The Gones will compete in the Europa League well next season.
The future of Olympique Lyonnais is more vague than ever. Tuesday evening, the DNCG pronounced the worst possible sanction against the John Textor club, namely a relegation in Ligue 2.. OL reacted directly by revealing its intention to appeal, and the result of the latter will be decisive to know if Lyon will play in Ligue 1 or in Ligue 2 next. With this decision of the financial gendarme of French football, big doubts also arose on the participation of OL in the Europa League next season.
OL sent to Ligue 2, this Applaudit senator https://t.co/bs8d1zxnwe
– foot01.com (@foot01_com) June 27, 2025
Logically, UEFA wonders about the ability of Olympique Lyonnais to be able to compete in this competition in view of its financial situation. But while waiting to convince the DNCG, it seems that John Textor has managed to put the European body in his pocket. According to information from Foot Mercato, the fear of seeing OL is disqualified from the Europa League is moving away. Indeed, the media claims that the club held by John Textor has obtained the validation of UEFA at the end of “Several weeks of rigorous financial presentations, carried out personally by John Textor, accompanied by his collaborator Michael Gerlinger”, Can we read.
John Textor has convinced UEFA
The European body did not take the Lyon file lightly and required solid guarantees from OL to maintain the Rhone club in Europa League. John Textor responded to his requirements by providing concrete guarantees with an additional investment of 35 million euros which will be injected before July 15. The media adds that this green light from UEFA is a very strong signal for OL before its call in front of the DNCG. This puts above all “The difference in interpretation between national and European bodies”underlines Foot Mercato. In the eyes of John Textor, the downstream of the European body is in any case proof of the solidity of the Lyon project. It will still be necessary to prove it to national authorities during the appeal after the decision rendered by the DNCG because even if it will participate in the Europa League, the Lyonnais club has no assurance of playing in Ligue 1 next season, for the moment.
