Former president of Olympique Lyonnais, Jean-Michel Aulas has often distinguished himself by his spikes against AS Saint-Etienne. But this time, it is a whole different tone that he adopted, making particularly complimentary remarks with regard to the Rival club.
The rivalry between Lyon and Saint-Etienne has always been marked by small sentences, sometimes murdered. Impossible to forget the tackle that remained famous of Jean-Michel Aulas in 2010: “We play the Champions League while the Stéphanois only play it on Playstation. »» A mocking outing that had made many teeth cringe into the Forez, fueling an already electric derby at the time.
Fifteen years later, the tone has radically changed. While Gilbert Bribois evoked the situation of the Greens, the former boss of OL surprised everyone on the antennas of the after foot on RMC:
“You see, I have a lot of friends in Saint-Etienne and I told them that they had potentially, on the one hand, a high-quality shareholder, who is a fan of female sport, so that means things. And then, they have one of the greatest managing directors of football that I have known, Ivan Gazidis, which I met at ECA and UEFA. »»
Classes : “They have a historic chance to come back where they wish “
For Aulas, there is no doubt: “For those who will take the time to see their club evolve, they have a historic chance to come back where they wish. »» Words heavy with meaning, coming from a leader who built Lyon as a benchmark for French and European football.
Of course, man has not completely given up his legendary irony. When asked if he was happy to see ASSE in Ligue 2, he slipped: “I didn’t say the opposite either”smile in the corner. But he quickly returned to a respectful discourse: “People who are in the head today, whether financially with big means, but especially Ivan, who is really someone extraordinary. He is someone very discreet. »»
Behind these compliments, Aulas recognizes the quality of the project led by Kilmer Sports Ventures and Ivan Gazidis. For the former President of Lyon, the Greens now have all the cards in hand to rebuild and aim for a quick return to the fore. Like what, even the greatest rivals can sometimes lay down their arms to greet the opponent.
😁🟢 Historical moment in the after: Jean-Michel Aulas begins the program by speaking in good of ASS pic.twitter.com/PIxCzrBcdW
— After Foot RMC (@AfterRMC) September 23, 2025
