Defeats, violence and shame: Lyon are at war with the rest of French football

As Celal Bozkurt stepped up to take his penalty against Lucas Perri, he would have been forgiven for feeling a sense of deja vu. Back in November, it was his effort that wrapped up a 3-1 win over Lyon II, Les Gones’ reserve side, in the National 3. On Wednesday, he repeated the feat against Lyon’s first team, scoring the first goal in the penalty shootout as fifth-tier side Bourgoin-Jallieu sent last year’s finalists crashing out of the Coupe de France.

It was Lyon fan and Groupama Stadium regular Mehdi Moujetzky’s brace that took the game to extra time and then Bozkurt’s calmly taken spot-kick that got the ball rolling in the shootout before misses from academy products Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso saw the minnows advance. “We will have to face our shame, to those close to us, to those who love the club, to our managers, to everyone,” said Pierre Sage, who didn’t warm to the storyline. “The magic of the cup? For us, it is the tragedy of the cup,” added the Lyon manager.

It was a stinging and “shameful” defeat that capped a nightmare week for Lyon on and off the pitch. The cup defeat sparked a violent reaction from fans, with witnesses also reporting racist abuse directed towards Bourgoin-Jallieu supporters, which prompted an immediate response from the Ligue 1 club. “OL will not tolerate any violence from its supporters … these incidents should no longer tarnish OL’s image,” said CEO Laurent Prud’homme. As his statement suggests, this was not an isolated incident.

Just days earlier, OL Féminin, who no longer share the same owners since the club’s sale to Michele Kang in 2023, also crashed out of the Coupe de France. The women’s side, an integral part of the Lyon project under former president Jean-Michel Aulas – who continues to devote himself to the growth of the game in France – are 10-time winners of the competition, with their most recent triumph coming in 2023.

Bourgoin-Jallieu players celebrate after knocking Lyon out of the Coupe de France. Photograph: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images

Despite OL Féminin’s sale, they remain dominant in France, as shown by their standing at the top of the league. They were sold when Eagle Football took over Lyon, with John Textor replacing Aulas as president. It was a tumultuous process, with tensions between the two men becoming public. Textor said he “would not have brought half-a-billion to the sellers” had he known the full extent of the club’s financial situation and that they would be handed a transfer ban by the DNCG, the financial watchdog in French football. Textor accused Aulas of hiding those potential sanctions, prompting Aulas to threaten the American with a libel suit.

These financial issues – which also led to the sale of OL Féminin, the American club OL Reign, and the LDLC Arena, which houses Lyon’s renowned basketball side – have dogged Textor’s tenure. In an explosive interview with the radio station RMC Sport last week, he once again landed himself in hot water.

The Lyon president accused the DNCG of being at the behest of PSG and their president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. The pair have been at loggerheads since Textor said he was “in competition with a country, not an owner”, referencing Qatar Sports Investments-owned PSG last summer. Textor accused Al-Khelaifi of being a “bully” during a meeting about TV rights in July, going on to call the president of the LFP, Vincent Labrune, a “lapdog” who bends to PSG’s whims.

The DNCG hit back, accusing Textor of a “obvious and persistent ignorance of the rules”. PSG also responded in a statement, seen by Get French Football News, saying: “It is a shame that class and elegance cannot be bought because it would have prevented Mr Textor from making a fool of himself through his excessive outrage and lies about our president, our institution and our fans.”

Textor’s comments come after Lyon were handed a provisional relegation to Ligue 2 by the DNCG. It leaves Lyon in a similar situation to the one Textor inherited when he bought the club. Sales are necessary, although he says he will not sanction transfers to PSG, as he did back in 2023 when Bradley Barcola made the move to the Parc des Princes.

In order to avoid that punitive relegation, the club must find €175m, according to L’Équipe. Player sales will only form part of that figure, with Maxence Caqueret and Gift Orban already departing for a combined €25m. Even more bankable assets such as Malick Fofana and Rayan Cherki are garnering interest, but Textor insists there will not be a firesale. “I’ve read everywhere that the whole club is for sale,” said Textor. “I have clubs from Turkey offering me piss money for great players. We tell them to fuck off!”

Lyon were beaten by Brest last weekend and were outplayed by Toulouse in a goalless draw on Saturday, so retaining players will be crucial to maintain their ambitions. Be it on national radio or in the stands, Lyon seem to be at war with the rest of French football and – given the tense interactions between fans and players after the draw with Toulouse – a club not entirely cohesive and united itself.

Talking points

There are teams you expect to be mired in a relegation battle: promoted sides Angers and Saint-Étienne, as well as Nantes and Montpellier, both of whom struggled to strengthen in the summer and have in previous seasons had to fight for their survival in the top flight. There is one side, however, that should be nowhere near the bottom given the quality in their squad and their continued investment: Rennes. “Every season is a journey but this one is shit for now,” said CEO Arnaud Pouille last week. It got even worse over the weekend. Their 2-1 defeat at home to Breton rivals Brest prompted an attempted pitch invasion from the club’s disgruntled fans.

Neither the appointment of Jorge Sampaoli as manager, nor the arrival of big-name internationals in the form of Brice Samba and Seko Fofana in recent weeks, have conjured any form of response. Rennes are level on points with Saint-Étienne, who occupy the relegation playoff spot. Given their consistent presence in Europe over the last decade, it feels unimaginable that Rennes could be in Ligue 2 next season, but it could become a reality.

Two seasons ago, Lens ran PSG close for the title and only fell short by a single point. Now under Will Still’s stewardship, they ran PSG close once again on Saturday night. A late Barcola goal – an important one for him on a personal level before key Champions League fixtures – was the difference. Lens will feel hard done by having gone toe-to-toe for much of the match and having led until the hour mark thanks to M’Bala Nzola’s goal. Still is extracting maximum performance in a difficult situation at the Bollaert, with the club forced to sell key players amid the imposition of a more austere regime. They remain well in contention for the European places but PSG, still unbeaten in the league after 18 games (14 wins, four draws), march on. Marseille’s 1-1 draw at home to Strasbourg means Luis Enrique’s side are now nine points clear. If only they could recreate that form in the Champions League.

Ligue 1 table