LYON, France — Ahead of the match between Lyon and their arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night, Lyon’s owner, John Textor, created quite the spectacle by sporting a cowboy hat. This playful gesture seemingly took aim at PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, just as tensions between the two have been heating up.
Textor, an American entrepreneur, greeted the crowd enthusiastically as he waved his hat before the match began. This display came shortly after leaked footage from a recent meeting of Ligue 1 club owners highlighted the growing animosity in the relationship between Textor and Al-Khelaifi.
During a contentious gathering in July, Al-Khelaifi referred to Textor as a “cowboy,” a remark that Textor countered by labeling Al-Khelaifi a “bully.” Their disagreement primarily revolves around the league’s handling of television broadcasting rights.
The French league’s troubles began when it had to abandon a lucrative deal with Spanish broadcaster Mediapro in 2020, which ultimately crumbled. The league aimed to secure up to 1 billion euros (approximately $1.1 billion) per year for broadcasting rights between 2024 and 2029 but had to scale back its ambitions. Eventually, a new agreement was reached for 500 million euros annually with a coalition involving British streaming service DAZN and BeIN Sports.
Currently, a conflict has emerged between DAZN and the French league, leading to a legal confrontation. This is not the first time Textor and Al-Khelaifi have exchanged barbs. Textor has accused his counterpart of possessing conflicts of interest, particularly due to his leadership role at BeIN Media Group, and has suggested that PSG’s financial model may contravene European Union regulations. In response, both PSG and Al-Khelaifi have firmly denied any allegations of misconduct.
