Sunday, Olympique Lyonnais (OL) moves to the Parc des Princes, in Paris, during the 21e and the penultimate day of the Women’s Division 1 championship. At stake, a sixteenth title of champion of France for the Lyonnaises, who are three points ahead of their Parisian rivals and who, since Tuesday, have a new owner and president, the American Michele Kang. Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg, 2018 Ballon d’Or, pays tribute to ex-president Jean-Michel Aulas and hopes OL will stay “an environment where you can continue to win”.
Sunday, the title of champions of France is decided on a match between OL and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), as usual or almost. Has it become a boring routine, or is it still an exciting date?
I understand the question (smile), but a title remains a title. If you don’t enjoy the idea of winning a title, you have nothing to do with it. We know that he is often played against PSG. One game at the start and one game at the end of the season. This time we are going to play at the Parc des Princes, and that is important. It’s a perfect setting for a great game.
After the unusual eliminations of Lyon and Paris in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, there have been many criticisms of a setback for French clubs in Europe. Do you share this concern?
Yes and no. We had two French teams which reached either the semi-finals, or the final, or which won, concerning OL, for ten years. It’s an easy reaction to start panicking when you lose. Against Chelsea, we were unlucky [élimination aux tirs au but après un penalty contestable pendant la prolongation].
We have won this competition eight times. It’s when you have success that you have to take advantage of it to continue to improve things. This elimination should not make us blacken the table, but, for a moment, we feel that competition is coming. There is a lot of work to be done at the level of the French championship, because yes, today, we are late. We have the assets to develop something much bigger. It’s either now or never! It is up to the French federation and the clubs to act. We all have a responsibility.
If you were president, decision-maker, what first steps would you take?
I would start with the product itself. We see high-level matches in the Champions League, on the international scene, which attract people. Our final against Barça in 2022, for example, was a very high level game. How to get there? We need to professionalize the pitches, stadiums and clubs even more. We must give greater visibility, make our football more attractive.
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