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Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif
As soccer gains in popularity in the United States, some NBA stars are becoming true fans of the game. One of these is Jimmy Butler, who could very well be doing Olympique Lyonnais a big favor in the very near future.
Before hosting the 2026 World Cup in a year’s time, a dress rehearsal of sorts is underway on the other side of the Atlantic. As host of the Club World Cup, which is about to get underway, the United States will have the opportunity to showcase the growing passion for soccer in the country. A craze that also extends to… the NBA, where certain figures are emerging as true specialists.
Jimmy Butler, Olympique Lyonnais’ indirect saviour?
In recent years, it’s not uncommon to see league stars attending soccer matches. But instead of helping the Brazilian’s former team, Paris Saint-Germain, the Warriors winger is about to remove a thorn in the side of Olympique Lyonnais. Matt Woosnam of The Athletic reports:
Matt Woosnam: A consortium of sport and entertainment executives, which includes the NBA star Jimmy Butler, is expected to make an offer in excess of $200million to purchase Eagle Football’s 43 per cent stake in Premier League soccer club Crystal Palace, sources briefed on the proposed deal have told The Athletic.
Like LeBron James, minority owner of Liverpool, Butler could join a Premier League club. And given the sums of money involved in the English league, this investment could quite quickly prove highly profitable for him. But how would all this benefit Olympique Lyonnais?
Eagle Football, which for many months has been seeking to sell its shares and thus sever its ties with Crystal Palace, owns several other clubs around the world. These include OL, which joined John Textor’s galaxy when he took over from Jean-Michel Aulas a few years ago. And it has to be said that Les Gones’ finances could do with such an influx of cash.
For several months now, the DNCG, which oversees the accounts of French professional soccer clubs, has been sounding the alarm about Lyon’s financial situation. So much so, in fact, that the DNCG has threatened to demote the Rhone club to Ligue 2 if it fails to put its financial house in order. The 200 million or so that Eagle Football could raise would certainly do them no harm.
