Will the Korean-American 女 soccer godmother take charge of Lyon in the second division…L'Equipe's likely successor as chairman
Jun 28, 2025
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French magazine L'Equipe reported on the 27th (Korea time) that the Michel River may temporarily take over as Lyon's CEO. Michelle Kang is a shareholder in Eagle Football Group, which has stakes in Crystal Palace (England), Botafogu (Brazil), and Lyon. He is mentioned as a successor to John Textor, who is the same shareholder and has served as Lyon's representative.
Michelle Kang is currently the owner of the Lyon women's team. After acquiring the Lyon women's team in 2023, it launched a separate corporation from the men's team and included it in its own 'Kinisca Sports International'. In addition to the OLF, Kinisca Sports International also includes women's soccer teams such as Washington Spirit (USA) and London City Lionesses (UK), which are owned by Michelle Kang. Since the club's acquisition, it has invested 39 million pounds (about 73.5 billion won) to improve player health and has drawn attention as much as the men's team, planning to build new stadiums and exclusive training facilities.
Born in Seoul in 1959, Michelle Kang went to study in the U.S. in 1980 when she was a student at Sogang University. After graduating from Chicago University and Yale University, he began his career as an IT-communications management consultant and succeeded in healthcare-related IT business through Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defense company. He was invited to the 2019 U.S. Women's World Cup victory celebration and formed a relationship with soccer, and the following year, he acquired a stake in Washington Spirit and entered the soccer business in earnest. In 2023, it acquired London City following the Lyon women's team, and established Kinisca in 2024. In addition to the women's soccer team, it also owns the Baltimore Orioles in the U.S. Major League Baseball and the U.S. media specializing in women's sports. "I didn't even know who Lionel Messi was until I had a relationship with women's soccer," Kang confessed in an interview with the U.S. Financial Times. "When I first met the U.S. women's team, I realized that even though they were the best players in the world, there was a serious lack of support and interest," he said. "With a little stimulation and investment, women's soccer could explode. There are a lot of people who share their passion (for women's soccer) as well as me. World Cup viewers continue to grow, too," he added. "If you ask a lot of female athletes what they want to do first, they want to get more money."Instead of 'I want to play in a stadium full of the best players, teams and spectators. It's my job to fill the stadium."
Lyon was eventually demoted after failing to settle its debt of 505.1 million euros (about 80.2 billion won). The owner of Textor made relief efforts, such as selling his stake in Crystal Palace, but failed to prevent relegation. Lyon, founded in 1950 and celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, has won seven French League 1 titles and five FA Cups. It is a prestigious team that has produced French representatives such as Karim Benzema, Ludovivik Zuili, Florand Maluda, and Alexandre Lacazette.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
