Two days before the American Eagle takes over football, everything is getting ready

The last stretch before the sale of Olympique Lyonnais to American Eagle Soccer. Olympique Lyonnais requested on Wednesday October 19, 2022, to suspend the operation of the holding company piloted by Jean-Michel Alas for 35 years, scheduled for Friday October 21 by American group Eagle Football. Controlled by billionaire John Dexter.

there Trading in the stock has been suspended A press release regarding the deal with Eagle Football is pending, OL announced.

Originally scheduled for September 30, the formalization of the acquisition, worth nearly 800 million euros, has been postponed to October 21. The Lyon club has indicated the technical conditions to be finalized at the time of the adjournment.

The historic club boss was very clear last week: ““Sale Done” AFP reported. “It is without suspensive conditions and will be taken over definitively on the 21st,” he said. Jean-Michel Alas confirmed that he was goingMust be at least three years“In his position to ensure operational management.

The two have already started collaborating since consulting the American when former France coach Laurent Blanc was appointed to replace Dutch coach Peter Boas in early October. “We called him to tell him how we felt and he followed us.Jean-Michel Aulas explained after the presentation of the new coach last Monday.

Last June, when Jean-Michel Alas announced his deal with Eagle Football, “Dexter ticks all the boxes“To take over a club that was recovering from a difficult financial period and was on a poor playing track.

OL are on a run of six matches without a win (five defeats and a draw against Toulouse, which resulted in the relegation of Peter Bosz). The team is in 10th place, ten points behind Lens (3rd) and twelve behind Lorient (2nd). Champions League, shown by club objective.

From special effects in cinema to digital creation through artificial intelligence and streaming live sporting events, John Dexter launched himself on the football field in August 2021 by entering the capital of London club Crystal Palace (Premier League). At the beginning of 2022, Botafogo, a first division club in Brazil, became the majority shareholder of RWD Molenbeek (2nd Belgian Div.).

to him, “The OL has an incredible balance not only in sport but also in entertainment”, Especially with him Arena of the futureIt will open in 2023, he said in Lyon in June. said during his first official appearance alongside Aulas.

In 35 years, the Lyon businessman has taken OL from being a tinkering association club in D2 to a listed holding company worth €800m with a €3m budget. In comparison, Italian club AC Milan was recently valued at €1.2 billion.

Through Eagle Football Holdings LLC, John Dexter is to buy all of Holnest – the Alas family’s holding company – and half of the Osrans (bonds convertible into shares to finance the construction of Groupama Stadium). Pathé (Jérôme Seydoux) and Chinese investment fund IDG Capitals own the shares and Osranes.

Holnest owns 27.72% of the capital. Bathe and ITG, which own 19.36% and 19.85% respectively, announced on March 9 that they wanted to sell their shares, forcing Rain Bank to do so.

OL Group achieved a “clear rebound” in its activity by 42% (turnover up to 252.5 million euros in the financial year 2021/2022), helping to raise the bar after the historic loss related to the pandemic (-107 million). Even though in the previous financial year, the holding still showed a net loss of 55 million euros.

With AFP