Source: REUTERS/Manon Cruz
[Saba Sports News] According to French media, Lyon’s appeal hearing will take place on Wednesday, and the ruling will be announced on the same day. Lyon was previously penalized by the National Control and Management Authority for financial issues and was relegated to Ligue 2. They then appealed to the Federal Appeals Committee. It was reported that Lyon’s appeal hearing will take place on Wednesday local time, rather than the originally scheduled July 10th. The ruling will also be announced on the same day. Lyon’s American owner, Johann Stektor, failed to prove the stability of his ownership model across multiple clubs in the three previous hearings by French regulators, so he has decided to step down from managing Lyon. According to insiders, Lyon was relegated due to funding distribution issues involving Stektor’s Eagle Football Holdings company. Lyon needs to raise the missing funds and deposit them into the club’s dedicated account to prove its financial health. The ruling from this week’s hearing will also affect Lyon’s European qualification. If Lyon is kept in Ligue 1, they can qualify for the Europa League next season. If they are relegated to Ligue 2, they will miss European competition, and the Europa League spot will be passed to Strasbourg, while Strasbourg’s Europa Conference League qualification will go to Lens.