Michele Kang Prepares for Possible Acquisition of Olympique Lyonnais
Could there be changes in Lyon? American businesswoman Michele Kang, minority shareholder and CEO of Eagle Football Group (formerly OL Group), is preparing for a potential acquisition of the Lyon football club, according to a statement from the company released on Tuesday.
The board of directors of Eagle Football Group has established an independent committee to avoid any conflicts of interest if its CEO sought to acquire shares currently held by the holding company Eagle Bidco. This London-based holding company, the majority shareholder of OL, was placed under judicial administration at the end of March, effectively removing American John Textor, former head of OL, from its helm.
This process “may result in a change of control of the company followed by a mandatory public offering for its shares,” stated Eagle Football Group. The establishment of the independent committee is “in light of potential conflict of interest issues that may arise if the CEO were to be involved in this operation,” it added.
Michele Kang Appointed Since June 30, 2025
The “ad hoc committee composed of three independent directors” is responsible for “monitoring the administration process,” as well as, “if necessary,” issuing “a recommendation to the board of directors regarding a possible public offering.” Eagle Football Group also explained that it “may share confidential information with interested third parties in the acquisition of shares held by Eagle Bidco.”
Such commitments have already been made with Eagle Bidco, particularly for the search for a “potential acquirer” of its assets, as well as with “a consortium formed by Ares Capital and an affiliate of Michele Kang.” Following administrative relegation at the end of the 2024-25 season due to its high debt, OL has been led since June 30, 2025, by the duo Michele Kang-Michael Gerlinger.
The businesswoman was also appointed CEO of Eagle Football Group by Ares, the American fund that took over the operational control of the club after acquiring OL for $425 million from Textor in 2022. At the time of Eagle Bidco’s placement under judicial administration, the Rhône club specified that its governance and “daily operations” were “unaffected.”
