How will Lyon convince the appeal board to reverse their sanctions? | OneFootball

John Textor is doing everything in his power to get the sanctions against Olympique Lyonnais reversed.

In November, OL were banned from signing any new players for the January transfer window, with their budget being closely watched by the DNCG, French football’s financial watchdog.

The club have reported a financial debt of over €500m and could face relegation if they can’t show a good financial standing between now and the end of the season.

Textor, however, will appeal their case on Friday before a committee to try and reverse some of those sanctions, according to L’Équipe.

Among the areas they’ll argue is the fact they didn’t receive official notification of these sanctions in writing, which is necessary for an eventual appeal until a month after being first informed. Typically, clubs that receive such punishment get the official documents necessary to appeal within 48 hours.

Les Gones will also present new evidence of improvement regarding their financial situation, which it hopes will reverse the current sanctions. According to Lyon’s management, one of these includes a cash injection of €100m, €80m of which will already have been paid last month.

Textor looks to sell Crystal Palace shares

Textor and OL managing director Laurent Prud’homme can also claim that they have made some sales on the transfer market to help their case further. Jeffinho (25) signed with Botafogo for over €5m, and Gift Orban (22) joined TSG Hoffenheim for around €9m. There are more potential sales to come, plus former goalkeeper Anthony Lopes (34) recently joined FC Nantes, which whilst a free transfer, allowed a significant earner to be offloaded from their wage bill. There’s also the fact that the contracts of Alexandre Lacazette (33) and Nicolás Tagliafico (32) expire at the end of this campaign. These wage bill reductions may improve the club’s standing with the DNCG.

Meanwhile, two other major files are moving forward nicely regarding Textor and OL. Eagle Group signed a letter of intent and granted exclusivity to an unnamed investor to purchase the American’s shares in Premier League club Crystal Palace. At the same time, for the Initial Public Offering (IPO), Eagle Group has ensured that the investment bank UBS will lead the introduction. Communication regarding this may take place in the coming weeks.

Despite the sanctions, OL still has the right to obtain a player on loan, including Thiago Almada (23), who helped fellow Eagle Group side Botafogo win the Copa Libertadores and Brasileiro Serie A this season.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre