Why have Lyon been provisionally relegated?

French giants Lyon are facing the very real threat of being relegated from Ligue 1 due to their financial dealings. 

Les Gones are one of the foremost clubs in France, winning seven consecutive league titles between 2002 and 2008, while reaching two Champions League semi-finals during that period and winning five French cups all-time.

This season, Lyon sit fifth in the table and just a point adrift of the Champions League qualifiers following their 1-0 win over bitter rivals St-Etienne prior to the international break.

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However, all of that could count for nought, with the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG) issuing a punishment on Friday that states Lyon will be relegated to Ligue 2 unless they can demonstrate a healthier financial situation. 

At present, Lyon — who haven’t played in the second tier since 1989 — are said to have more than £400m in debts. The club spent in excess of £120m during the summer transfer window, signing the likes of Moussa Niakhate, Georges Mikautadze and Said Benrahma.

Owner John Textor held a press conference on Saturday to state his absolute confidence that Lyon will not be relegated, accusing the DNCG of focusing too much on the club’s accounts rather than the wider picture of his Eagles Football Holdings company — which he uses to own controlling stakes in Crystal Palace, Botafogo and RVD Molenbeek.

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“We will not be relegated, there is no chance,” said Textor, who also tried to add Everton to his portfolio earlier this year. “I know that our situation makes some sceptics. I prefer the Premier League system which punishes clubs differently. We have resources that go well beyond the club. Even if we fail on all our global initiatives, of €700 million, our owners will not let the group sink. There is no chance of being relegated.”

He added: “At the DNCG, there are intelligent people but they work in a system and do not want to look at the global scale of what we do. The DNCG has to digest a lot of figures in a very short time. We are a large organisation, and it is important to realise that all our clubs contribute. Our services collaborate, our financial services collaborate.”

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Will Lyon be forced into player transfer exodus?

Should Lyon be relegated, there is a strong chance they will be forced to sell a number of high-profile players either to balance the books or due to the ambitions of certain members of their squad.

While not quite in the same league as, say, Juventus’ forced relegation to Serie B in 2006 — when they parted ways with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira, Fabio Cannavaro and Lilian Thuram — clubs will still be lining up for a potential cut-price deal on some of their biggest stars.

21-year-old playmaker Rayan Cherki is the most obvious candidate. The attacking midfielder has 19 goals and 28 assists to his name in 152 appearances for Lyon and has been a regular for France at youth level in recent years. He’s currently heavily linked with Liverpool and is Lyon’s joint-most valuable player right now with a market value of €20m, according to Transfermarkt.

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Level with Cherki is Mikautadze. Although he only joined the club in the summer, the striker would be highly sought after following his 13 goals in 20 Ligue 1 appearances for relegated Metz last season, not to mention netting three goals for Georgia at Euro 2024 to share the Golden Boot.

The likes of Benrahma, Maxence Caqueret, Nicolas Tagliafico and Gift Orban are all familiar names who could draw serious attention were Lyon to be ejected from Ligue 1.

English clubs would also be on alert regarding former Arsenal stars Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Alexandre Lacazette, with the latter scoring 56 times in 84 appearances since rejoining Lyon from the Gunners in 2021, while the former is very experienced in the Premier League.

Lyon’s full 2024/25 squad