O. Lyon: "I would prefer stronger commercial revenues for my competitors than subsidies" (J-M Aulas)

"I would prefer to accept stronger commercial revenues for my competitors rather then (them receiving) subsidies, whether from here (domestically) or elsewhere (internationally)... I accept having to fight against English clubs, to whom we hope to sell players trained at OL much more than we do to other French clubs. We're in a strong business model that allows the most clairvoyant of us to compete with those with more resources. Trying to compete with Barcelona, Bayern, or Arsenal, this motivates me more than it de-motivates me," said Jean-Michel Aulas, president of Olympique Lyonnais (Ligue 1) to News Tank Football, on 12/09/2016.

Groupe OL, the holding company which owns Olympique Lyonnais, achieved a turnover of €218.1m for the 2015-16 fiscal year (from 01/07/2015 to 30/06/2016), up €114.6m (+111%) year-on-year (€103.5m for the 2014-15 season). These figures should re-position OL back in the top 20 European clubs who generate the most revenue, since the club did not feature in the top 30 grossing European clubs in 2014-15, which was the last full season played at the old Stade…