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Michelle Kang Takes over as President of Ligue 1 Team Lyon as John Textor Resigns
RHÔNE, AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES, FRANCE, JUN 30 – Michele Kang takes over after John Textor’s resignation amid Lyon’s relegation and financial issues, leading the club’s appeal and future under complex multi-club ownership rules.
- On June 30, 2025, Olympique Lyonnais announced Michele Kang as Chairwoman, President, and CEO after John Textor resigned amid relegation struggles.
- The leadership change follows the DNCG's confirmation of Lyon's relegation to Ligue 2 due to financial irregularities revealed in November 2024.
- Kang, an American investor and significant shareholder since 2023, will lead Lyon's appeal of the relegation and collaborate with new Director General Michael Gerlinger.
- Textor, who previously held a 43% stake in Crystal Palace and sold it to Woody Johnson, expressed full confidence in Kang's leadership during this critical moment for OL.
- Kang's appointment signals a strategic effort to stabilize Lyon financially and sportingly as the club seeks to overcome regulatory challenges and strengthen its future prospects.
69 Articles
69 Articles
Spirit owner Michelle Kang named president of Olympique Lyonnais men's team
Michele Kang's international soccer portfolio keeps growing. The owner of the NWSL's Washington Spirit was named the president of the Olympique Lyonnais French men's club on Monday, the team announced.
Threatened by relegation in Ligue 2, the Rhodanian football club turned on Monday to the American businesswoman, who already owned the women's section, to succeed John Textor. She is the first president of a professional men's team in France.
The new leader of one of the major football clubs in France will have the mission of saving the professional men's team from a retrograde in Ligue 2, pronounced last week.
After the downgrading to Ligue 2 of Olympique Lyonnais, its president John Textor announced that he would withdraw and was replaced by Michele Kang. In a press release published by Eagle Football, owner of the OL, the American businessman makes an assessment of the situation.
Idaho Press
Michele Kang takes over as president of French soccer team Lyon as John Textor resigns
American businesswoman Michele Kang has taken over as president of seven-time French champion Lyon after John Textor resigned following the club's relegation over financial irregularities.
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