LYON RELEGATED TO LIGUE 2 OVER FINANCES BUT FRENCH GIANTS WILL APPEAL AGAINST 'INCOMPREHENSIBLE' DECISION

Lyon relegated to Ligue 2 after an audit by French football financial watchdog; seven-time French champions will appeal against decision; Lyon are owned by John Textor, who has sold his stake in Crystal Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson; Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season

French giants Lyon have confirmed they will appeal against the "incomprehensible" decision to relegate them to Ligue 2 after failing to convince authorities they have resolved their financial difficulties.

The seven-time French champions were hit with a provisional relegation back in November after racking up massive debts, and although they have since sold a number of first-team players, French football watchdog the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG) upheld the relegation following meetings on Tuesday.

Lyon are owned by John Textor, and the decision to relegate them comes a day after the American businessman sold his stake in Crystal Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.

Lyon owner John Textor has sold his stake in Crystal Palace

The implications of this on Lyon's Europa League place and any further implications for Crystal Palace's place are currently unknown.

A verdict on whether Lyon meet financial rules from the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) is still pending.

UEFA did not comment when contacted by Sky Sports News.

Lyon, who finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season, said in a statement: "Olympique Lyonnais acknowledges the incomprehensible decision handed down by the DNCG this evening and confirms that it will immediately appeal.

"Over the past few months, we have worked closely with the DNCG, meeting all of its demands with equity investments in excess of the amounts requested. Thanks to equity contributions from our shareholders and the sale of Crystal Palace, our cash position has improved significantly, and we have more than sufficient resources for the 2025/26 season.

"With proven funds and sporting success that has earned us a place in European competition two years in a row, we sincerely do not understand how an administrative decision could have relegated such a major French club. We will appeal to demonstrate our ability to provide the necessary financial resources to ensure OL's continued presence in Ligue 1."

Textor told L'Equipe last week he was confident Lyon's financial position had been resolved, having said back in November there was "no chance" the club would be relegated.

After receiving the provisional relegation last year, Lyon sold the likes of Said Benrahma, Anthony Lopes and Maxence Caqueret in January, and this summer they have already sold Rayan Cherki to Manchester City in a £34m deal.

Lyon winger Malick Fofana is a Chelsea target this summer after the Blues made an enquiry for the Belgium international.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports News has reported Lyon have been interested in signing Nottingham Forest pair Matt Turner and Danilo.

'A massive earthquake for French football - and Textor is to blame'

Lyon can appeal against the decision to relegate them to Ligue 2

French football expert Julien Laurens speaking to Sky Sports News:

"Back in November, they'd been provisionally relegated by the DNCG because at the time they were in debt of around £200m. The DNCG said, 'If it stays like this, you're going to go down, regardless of where you finish in the league. So you better sort out your account between now in November and June when you come back to see us.'

"And John Textor was like, 'Yes, don't worry, no problem. We will sell players in January. We will do the same before the end of June. We've got all these plans in place.'

"So they went in quite optimistic today in Paris to meet the DNCG, but this news was a massive earthquake in French football because we all thought and understood that Lyon would be okay, and actually the plans they put forward for sorting out their financial issues were not convincing enough for the DNCG.

"They will appeal now, but the thing is, they won't have much time between now and the appeal to put a plan in place that was different from the one they presented today.

"They sold Rayan Cherki to Manchester City - that was part of the plan. (But) you can't take money off Botafogo to just put it on the Lyon account. They've been trying to put a plan like that together, but that didn't work.

Lyon sold Rayan Cherki to Man City this summer for £34m

"Now, I'm just not sure what else they can do apart from maybe selling Malick Fofana to an English club, maybe another player or two. But again, they will be really running against the clock, and other clubs will also know that they need money very quickly, so they won't be in a powerful position in terms of transfer markets and transfer fees.

"I'm actually quite worried now because we've seen in the past clubs who were relegated, then appealed, then find a way with new investors, money coming in from one way or another, to stay up. But for Lyon, the clock is ticking massively now.

"It's terrible. Since John Textor took over and bought the club from Jean-Michel Aulas, who is this historic figure in Lyon who took the club mid-table in the second division in the mid-eighties to seven league titles in a row and the semi-finals of the Champions League, to this now, to being relegated to the second tier in France.

Could Nemanja Matic be playing in Ligue 2 next season with Lyon?

"John Textor's made this club a mess. There's no other way of putting it. He's been one of the worst owners, spending money everywhere, sacking managers, hiring the wrong managers.

"I just don't know how you get out of this. If you're Lyon, this is a terrible position to be in."

Textor sells Palace stake

Lyon's demotion comes after Textor's shares in Crystal Palace threatened to be an obstacle to the Eagles' participation in the Europa League next season because he owns Lyon, who are set to enter the same competition.

Under UEFA's multi-club ownership rules, it looked as though Palace could miss out.

However, Textor's 43 per cent stake in the London club has now been sold to Johnson in a deal worth more than £190m and values Palace at more than £400m.

The sale is subject to Premier League and WSL approval, but may now free Palace up to play in the Europa League.

The Eagles qualified for the competition thanks to their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

A decision is expected within days that Palace will take their place in Europa League for first time in their history with the draw in August.

Textor, who through his Eagle Football Holdings group also owns a significant stake in Botafogo, who are the current Brazilian and South American champions, initially invested in Palace in 2021.

- Sky Sports 

JETS FIRE ROBERT SALEH AFTER 2-3 START, TAB JEFF ULBRICH INTERIM

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Upset by the team's 2-3 start, Jets owner Woody Johnson made a stunning and unprecedented move Tuesday morning, firing coach Robert Saleh and naming defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as the interim head coach.

Johnson, with his first in-season coaching change in 25 years of ownership, said he consulted with general manager Joe Douglas, but he called it "my decision and mine alone." Woody Johnson and his brother, Christopher Johnson, the vice chairman, broke the news to Saleh in his office at the team facility.

Saleh was shocked, sources said. He was escorted to his car by the director of security, a source confirmed, in what was described as protocol.

"This is probably the best team I've had in 25 years," Johnson said on a conference call with reporters. "I just felt that the best way to go forward was a new direction. Taking Jeff Ulbrich and making him the interim head coach, I thought that would get the most out of this team and give us the best chance that we all want to have, which is going to the playoffs."

Saleh, who promised multiple championships when he was hired in 2021, finished with a 20-36 record and no playoff appearances. The Jets have a 13-year playoff drought, the longest active drought in the NFL, but they began the season with Super Bowl expectations, in large part because of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The Jets' Week 4 loss to the Broncos shook the organization. The next day, the Johnsons and team president Hymie Elhai expressed their concerns to Saleh in a meeting, according to multiple sources. In a sense, Saleh was coaching for his job on Sunday in London, where the Jets dropped their second straight game -- a 23-17 loss to the undefeated Vikings.

"It's not just the last two games that has precipitated this decision; it's a longer time frame," Johnson said. "I've had a couple years to think about this, and, yeah, I just think we can do better. The team can do better as we have this new leadership."

Ulbrich, in a midafternoon video conference with reporters, described the change as "four hours of craziness." He addressed the entire team Tuesday, saying his message to the players was, "It's time to lock arms."

He has some big decisions to make in the next 24 hours as the Jets begin preparations for Monday night against the Bills. The biggest one involves embattled offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who could be stripped of his playcalling duties. Ulbrich was noncommittal, though he did say he would consult with Rodgers. A source confirmed that Saleh was prepared to demote Hackett, only to be fired himself just minutes later.

"I do not see changes in, necessarily, titles and positions," Ulbrich said. "As far as responsibilities and the process itself, we're going to take a hard look at that."

That includes whether Ulbrich will relinquish his defensive playcalling to another coach on staff.

The struggles on offense, in particular, have pained Johnson. Sources said he forced Saleh to change offensive coordinators after the 2022 season, replacing Mike LaFleur with Hackett. The Jets traded for Rodgers, who, after missing nearly the entire 2023 season with a torn Achilles, has failed to elevate the unit this season.

Addressing the offense, Johnson said, "I think one of the reasons that I decided to make a coaching change at the highest level is exactly that. We need to find ways to win, and so we're not going to find those ways by doing the same thing over and over and over."

Under Saleh, the Jets started six quarterbacks -- Zach Wilson (33 games), Mike White (7), Rodgers (6), Joe Flacco (5), Trevor Siemian (3) and Tim Boyle (2).

"We've been underperforming for whatever the reason, and we're going to take a hard look at all of it," Ulbrich said, speaking of the entire team.

"I really believe, we lock arms, we commit to the process that we put in place, and we will have success. We will," Ulbrich added.

Despite the Sept. 30 meeting with Saleh and team brass, there was a sense in the organization that Johnson would wait a few weeks before making any major changes if the losing continued. On Monday, Saleh expressed confidence that they'd get it turned around, telling reporters, "I'm not panicked. Nobody in the building is panicked."

Still, there were signs of locker room grumbling after the loss in London.

"I'm going to be honest, people get tired of hearing the same s---," linebacker Quincy Williams told SNY. "People have to take accountability from the top to the bottom. That's all I have to say ... people have to start taking accountability. I'm tired of saying the same thing every week."

Johnson said Rodgers had no input into the coaching change. He said he spoke to Rodgers after Sunday's game, claiming Saleh's status or a potential move wasn't discussed. There had been speculation of a rift between Saleh and Rodgers, dating to Saleh's decision to fine the four-time MVP for taking a vacation to Egypt during the mandatory minicamp. Publicly, both men denied any friction in their relationship.

Despite the two-game losing streak, the Jets are only one game out of first place in the AFC East. Their game against the Bills (3-2) is for a share of the division lead.

- Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer