Hours after Olympique Lyonnais was barred from signing players and provisionally demoted to the second tier of French football due to its financial difficulties, owner John Textor sought to reassure fans that all was well. “This is not a club in trouble”, the American entrepreneur said at a press conference, pointing to a range of planned fundraising initiatives from across his network of football clubs.
Lawmakers and governing bodies are also paying increased attention to the network approach. In a report last month, French senators Laurent Lafon and Michel Savin wrote that multiclub ownership risked “compromising” results on the pitch and creating “distortions” in the transfer market, due to player trades between clubs within the wider group. “Clubs contribute to the economic vitality of our territories and their identity.