The president of Olympique lyonnais has been fighting for weeks against the judgment of the League 1, decided because of the outbreak of coronavirus. With a target of the government and the professional football League, guilty in his eyes to lead the French football into the abyss.Jean-Michel Aulas, 13 February 2020, Decines-Charpieu, near Lyon. (JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)
Jean-Michel Aulas, president of Olympique lyonnais, does not save his efforts for weeks. And increases to try and regain the championship of France of football as well as the D1 female, at the time of the déconfinement, even if the Lyons have been sacred champions. Its target : the government and the professional football League, guilty in his eyes “bring the French football towards an economic catastrophe”, as he repeated Wednesday, may 27th on franceinfo.
The “Lider maximo” annoys its counterparts
The problem is that man, in this fight, and seems to be well insulated. Because his stubbornness and his omnipresence in the media last for years, and annoy many of his colleagues-presidents. Which take advantage of this period of crisis, to settle their accounts with him. As well, we heard Jacques-Henri Eyraud, chairman of the Olympique de Marseille qualify in the JDD its counterpart in marseille “Lider maximo”, in reference to Fidel Castro, “ready to pounce on a devastating virus to conceal the difficult season of his club”. With the outbreak of Covid-19, the classification of the Ligue 1 was arrested on the 28th day on the basis of the ratio of the number of points by games played. Verdict : Lyon ends 7th, far away from the qualification places for european competitions.
We would all agree that Jean-Michel Aulas became the Prime minister of France, it would bring a lot of positive things in French football.Bernard Caïazzo, co-president of Saint-Etienne and president of the union First ligueà franceinfo
Without being too ironic, another president has entrusted to us to be annoyed that Jean-Michel Aulas “talking all the time in the name of French football” while he represents “thefirst of his club, Olympique lyonnais“. Today, the only ones who support Jean-Michel Aulas are those who have a sporting interest immediate as the season resumes : the club of Lille (4th), deprived of the champions League, and then Amiens (19th), and Toulouse (20th) are relegated in League 2.
A majority of speakers no longer believe in his sincerity
But what is happening elsewhere in the other major european leagues seems to give him reason. Thus, the Bundesliga has taken over in Germany, the Spanish government has given the green light for the resumption of the la Liga, and Italy and England might follow the same trajectory. France football is therefore against the current of its neighboring countries. But Jean-Michel Aulas is not someone who unites, unites. And in a country like France, which has a cultural approach different from Spain or Italy in relation to football, it would have needed a strong person who will unite in urging the government to backtrack, and not a personality that divides. In Spain, the League president, Javier Tebas, has managed to federate, taking the folder that will arm the body, defending it in a credible interlocutor for the Spanish government.
In France, Jean-Michel Aulas has not succeeded in building alliances, and a majority of speakers no longer believe in his sincerity. Its fault, perhaps, would be not to have delegated its ideas to a person who has a better rating than him in the French football. And then, his supporters are not numerous : the end of the championship made the business of many clubs, such as those who are qualified in the champions League as Marseille (2nd) and Rennes (3rd), those who were ill but who are saved, as Saint-Etienne (17th), or even those who are going to go up in League 1, as Lorient and Lens.
