France top scorer Eugénie Le Sommer joins Mexican club Toluca
TOLUCA, Mexico — France all-time leading scorer Eugénie Le Sommer has signed a contract to play for Mexican club Toluca, where she will reunite with former Lyon coach Patrice Lair.
The 36-year-old forward parted ways with Lyon in May after 15 seasons and wasn't chosen for the national team for the Women's European Championship .
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
UEFA postpones call on Crystal Palace's European spot pending Lyon decision
Crystal Palace's hopes of playing in the Europa League next season appear to hinge on Olympique Lyonnais failing to overturn their relegation to Ligue 2 this week after UEFA postponed its judgment on whether Palace and Lyon breach its multi-club ownership (MCO) rules. The Premier League side thought they had qualified for UEFA's secondary club competition as a reward for winning the FA Cup last month, but European football's governing body has not confirmed their eligibility because their co-owner John Textor also owns Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League by finishing sixth in Ligue 1. Advertisement Under UEFA's MCO rules, when two or more teams under the same ownership qualify for the same competition, only the team that finishes highest in its domestic league – and Palace came 12th last season – can participate, with the other team or teams either dropping into a lower UEFA competition or missing out entirely. However, there is a significant caveat to these rules in that the important issue is whether the common owner has 'control or decisive influence' over the clubs. If the owner's shareholding is considered to be minor in one of the clubs, with 30 per cent being the rule of thumb, or enough legal separation can be created between them, UEFA has allowed several clubs in MCO groups to play in the same competition. This is the argument Textor and his fellow shareholders at Palace have been making to UEFA. The American businessman does control 43 per cent of the south London club's shares via his Eagle Football Holdings Ltd but – under the club's shareholder agreement – he only has 25 per cent of the votes. And, with Palace chairman Steve Parish opposed to the idea of integrating the club into the Eagle group, Textor's influence at Selhurst Park has been limited to his injection of about £110million ($150.7m). To complicate matters further, Textor has subsequently agreed a deal to sell his stake in Palace to New York Jets owner, and former U.S. Ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson. However, UEFA finds itself in the difficult position of not wanting to make an unpopular decision – and preventing Palace side from taking up the Europa League berth they earned by winning a first trophy in the club's history – but also having to apply its rulebook in a way that is consistent with its recent decisions on MCO matters. UEFA first tried to address the MCO issue, which has obvious implications for the integrity of its competitions, in the late 1990s when it stopped several European clubs owned by UK-based investment firm ENIC from competing in the same competition. It was that ruling which established the idea of control being the key consideration. Advertisement The rule was not challenged again until RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg both qualified for the Champions League in 2017, although both were allowed to play in the competition after their owner, the Austrian energy-drink giant Red Bull, made various legal and personnel changes to create distance between the clubs. But with MCO groups proliferating in recent years, UEFA has been forced to make these assessments every summer, most notably in 2023 when it forced the owners of Aston Villa and Portugal's Vitoria, Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium and AC Milan and France's Toulouse to either dilute their shareholding in one of the clubs or effectively put one in a blind trust. A similar dynamic played out last summer when distance was created between stablemates Spanish side Girona and Manchester City, and Manchester United and Ligue 1's Nice. The uncertainty created by these examples persuaded UEFA to tweak its MCO rules this season by bringing forward the date for when such changes needed to be made by three months. And it is this shift that seems to be causing Palace real issues. In a statement released by UEFA on Monday, it confirmed it was blocking two other teams in MCO groups from taking their places in the Conference League. As a result, Denmark's Silkeborg and Hungary's Gyori ETO can participate but their respective sister-clubs Drogheda United of Ireland and Slovakia's Dunajska Streda cannot. Drogheda United have already tried and failed to appeal against this decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. If that decision did not already cause alarm at Palace about their fate, UEFA's decision to delegate this matter to French football's financial watchdog the DNCG may do. The UEFA statement confirms it is happy with Lyon's financial position but adds that the French club 'agreed on exclusion from the 2025/26 UEFA club competitions should the French authority confirm the club's relegation to Ligue 2'. Advertisement This is a reference to last week's news that the DNCG had gone through with its threat to relegate Lyon for what it believes is a significant hole in its finances. The decision stunned Textor and his fellow investors and lenders at Eagle Football Group, as he says Lyon has plenty of cash following the sale of his Palace shares and the transfer of Rayan Cherki to Manchester City. But even without those recent windfalls, he believes the DNCG fundamentally misunderstands his MCO model and it should not take such a narrow view of Lyon's balance sheet but instead look at the health of the whole group. Eagle has already launched an appeal of its relegation and it is expected to take place in the coming days. Textor is very confident of success but he was also confident the last time he met the DNCG. If he does succeed in persuading the DNCG to overturn its decision, Lyon will remain a Ligue 1 club and be able to play in the Europa League. This will force UEFA to announce a decision that it surely would have already published if it had gone in Palace's favour. If, as seems likely, Palace and Lyon are deemed to have breached the MCO rules, the English club will drop into the Conference League. Ironically, another of Palace's co-owners, American investor David Blitzer, also owns Brondby who have reached this competition but his stake at the Danish club is not large enough to cause any issues. In the meantime, Textor, 59, has agreed to step away from Lyon in order to focus on Botafogo, Daring Brussels and his search for a new English club to replace Palace in Eagle's portfolio. Taking over at Lyon are American businesswoman and Eagle investor Michelle Kang, who already owns a majority stake in Lyon's women's team, as president, with former Bayern Munich chief financial officer Michael Gerlinger becoming chief executive. Advertisement 'Each of our clubs and communities deserve leadership, with a strong local presence, and the acumen to overcome both the sporting and the non-sporting challenges that we face,' said Textor in an Eagle press release. 'It's obvious to everyone that Michele is a perfect choice to lead (Olympique Lyonnais), and I am thrilled for our community that she has accepted the job. 'On a personal level, I am truly looking forward to the reduction of my day-to-day management responsibilities in Europe, so I can focus on markets where we have the full freedom to run our football clubs, to invest, innovate, grow and compete. 'OL (is) in great hands with Michele, and I will focus on Botafogo, Daring Brussels and our next club in England.' By Crystal Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam The decision to postpone a ruling on whether Palace and/or Lyon will be admitted to the Europa League next season continues the agonising and frustrating wait for both sets of supporters. Palace fans should be free to bask in the glory of their FA Cup victory, the first major trophy in the club's history, but instead are being forced to contemplate the possibility of being knocked down to the Conference League. The wait for an outcome goes on and it is those fans who will suffer. For some, it has slightly overshadowed the success of a best-ever Premier League season in terms of points and the cup win. For the club, it means potential delays in planning for the new season, something they had been eager to avoid given last season's slow start was partly caused by their late transfer dealings with four players arriving on deadline day. ()
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Michelle Kang takes over as president of Ligue 1 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. The South Korea-born Kang is also majority owner of the Lyon's women's team — OL Lyonnes — and has been on Lyon's board of directors since 2023. Advertisement Lyon said in a statement that Kang will play an 'active role' in leading the club's appeal against the relegation handed down last Tuesday by the French league's soccer watchdog, known as DNCG. The case is expected to be heard within the next week. That ruling could also decide whether Crystal Palace will be allowed to play in next season's Europa League, which Lyon also qualified for. Textor also held a 43% stake in Palace — which he has agreed to sell to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson — and UEFA has rules against clubs with the same owner playing the same competition. Lyon added that Textor has also resigned from the board of directors. He became Lyon president three years ago, taking over from longstanding incumbent Jean-Michel Aulas, who sold to Textor's Eagle Football Holdings. The 66-year-old Kang will be supported in her role by Michael Gerlinger, the general manager of Eagle Football Holdings. Advertisement 'A highly respected figure in European football administration, Michael brings over two decades of experience in governance, regulatory affairs and sports operations,' Lyon said in its statement. Why did Lyon get relegated? Lyon's run of Ligue 1 titles from 2001-08 made it the powerhouse of French soccer. Since Paris Saint-Germain took over at the top, fortunes have steadily dipped for Lyon. The decision to relegate the club followed an audit of its finances by the DNCG, with Lyon's current debt estimated at 175 million euros ($203 million). The DNCG had already provisionally relegated Lyon to Ligue 2 in November, with the club reporting at the time that it had more than 500 million euros ($581 million) of debt. A transfer ban was also imposed in the January transfer window. Advertisement News of Lyon's relegations was met by dismay from Lyon fans, with one historic supporters group — The Bad Gones — leading calls for Textor's immediate resignation. The club shop was tagged with a blunt message urging him to go. A Champions League finalist five years ago, Lyon narrowly lost to Manchester United in the Europa League quarterfinals this season and missed out on a cash windfall when it failed to qualify for next season's Champions League after finishing sixth in Ligue 1. Three weeks ago, Lyon received a much-needed cash injection by selling coveted playmaker Rayan Cherki to Manchester City for 36 million euros, while high earners like forward Alexandre Lacazette left the club. But it wasn't enough to convince the DNCG that Lyon's books were in order, a task which now falls to Kang. Advertisement Ligue 1 resumes in mid-August with Lyon scheduled to play at Lens if it wins the appeal. More about Michelle Kang Forbes estimates Kang's worth at $1.2 billion. Kang assumed majority ownership of Lyon one year after taking over the Washington Spirit women's team in 2022 when average gates were around 3,000. They are now around 15,000. She also heads Kynisca Sports International, a women-led, multi-team global sports organization. Last November, she pledged $30 million to U.S. Soccer over five years for women and girls — the largest single investment specifically for women's and girl's programs in the federation's history. Advertisement As well as her donation to U.S. Soccer, in August 2024 her Kynisca Sports organization set up a $50-million (£39.2 million) global investment fund to help improve the health and performance of elite female athletes. Lyon's women's team — a record eight-time Champions League winner — will enjoy a new, female-specific training campus when it opens in July 2026. The women's team will also share the Groupama Stadium with the men's side. Last season's women's Champions League semfinal against rival PSG attracted 38,466 spectators. ___ AP soccer: Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
The Massive Flaw In Chelsea's Wild $280 Million Splurge
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 03: Liam Delap of Chelsea poses for a photo as Chelsea unveil him as a new ... More signing ahead of the 2025/2026 season at Stamford Bridge on June 03, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) As has become customary at Stamford Bridge with every passing transfer window, Chelsea has been splashing the cash. Barely a week goes by without some fresh young talent arriving in West London to pose for the media with a Blue jersey and an awkward grin. The sums spent on these transfers alone are past a billion, a level that doesn't seem to match the income of a team that has performed indifferently for the past three years. At first, the mad dash for players was met with surprise, then derision, anger, and bemusement. Now, it's almost with weary resignation that Chelsea's spending is received. So far this summer, the Blues have signed Liam Delap for $41.1 million, Dario Essugo for $24.66 million, Estevao Willian for $39.73 million, and Mamadou Sarr for $16.44 million. This will soon be followed by an $82 million swoop for Brighton and Hove Albion forward Jao Pedro and a $75 million deal for Borussia Dortmund player Jamie Gittens. However, according to the BBC, the $280 million splurge is part of a strategy to profit from the transfer market. 'Buy young stars on lower wages, spread the payments over long contracts, keep flipping players, and sell on unwanted talent for a profit - that is Chelsea's strategy in a nutshell. Oh, and try to win things at the same time,' journalist Nizaar Kinsella wrote. 'With an average age of 23 years and five months, the Blues already have the youngest squad in the Premier League - and it is set to get even younger from next season. 'The club has had a radical shift in transfer strategy since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over from Roman Abramovich in 2022. 'Most Abramovich-era players have been sold in an attempt to reduce the age of the squad - and the wage bill. 'That money has then been reinvested in young talent in what appears to be a 'supercharged Brighton' approach to transfer business.' The problem is that those profits are not rolling in. Having a disproportionately long contract disincentivizes buying clubs that are themselves after a deal. A player might retain their value, but you can't profit from them if other sides believe they are too expensive. So far, the main result of the revolving door of talent and their mega-contracts has been a stockpile of unwanted talent, which isn't earning Chelsea much from transfers. Since 2022, the Blues have spent around $1.5 billion, but they have only generated $674 billion from player sales, representing a $900 billion loss. Big Contract, Big Risk? Players of Chelsea FC pose for photos before the round of 16 match between Portugal's SL Benfica and ... More England's Chelsea FC at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 at the Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, the United States, June 28, 2025. (Photo by Huang Zongzhi/Xinhua via Getty Images) Chelsea's co-owner said the tactic of signing longer-term contracts than the rest of the market was simply insurance. 'A seven-year contract is really a five-year contract as 90% of the time you have to make a decision or shoot yourself in the foot [with a player trying to run down their contract],' he told the FT Business of Football event. 'You either agree terms, or shoot yourself in the foot, or agree there are greener pastures out there.' He added, 'It is the way this market operates. I don't see it as good or bad. 'You always focus on how you keep something together for a very long time. How? You identify a younger portfolio of players to be consistent and reliable over a long period of time - and that's an option that's valuable.' The trouble for Chelsea is that having players tied to 7-year deals becomes a significant disadvantage when you want to sell them. Buyers will use the length of the deal to drive down the cost of a transfer because the club that owns the player knows it's the only method of cutting ties. Given how few of Chelsea's signings have gained value and the lack of a market for players in the club's salary bracket, the club will find it very difficult to sell for profit. None of this will stop the club from spending, as football finance expert Dan Plumley told Football Insider 247, in accountancy terms, there is still the potential for many more deals. 'How many times have we said with Chelsea, we don't expect them to spend, and then they spend big?' he said. 'So don't rule it out, and also caveat that with the big thing, of course, in the crazy world where we're talking about PSR. 'The sale of the women's team and the headroom that has given them, they've got the most headroom in the Premier League now in terms of if you look at what they can afford to lose, which is such a bizarre thing to be saying. 'They've got no issues there; we've already seen them spend, and I wouldn't rule out any further spending. 'They've still got that issue with squad balance, and it is a big squad, and we've seen it grow in recent years. 'They've got to be mindful of that internally, but financially, I wouldn't be surprised to see them spend because that sale of the women's team has just given them so much headroom now if they wanted to go and spend some more money.' It might not be coming to bite them now, but eventually, all this spending will catch up with Chelsea. What happens then—well, that will be fascinating to see.
