Mansour, a Korean female livestock who jumped into 1.6 trillion won in wealth, unexpectedly appointed as CEO of Olympique Lyon in the second division
Jul 01, 2025
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On the 30th of last month (local time), Lyon's holding company, Eagle Football Group, announced on its official website that `Michelle Kang has been appointed CEO of Eagle Football Group and CEO of Lyon. Kang, who served on Lyon's board of directors from 2023, will serve as chairman and president. He will actively participate in supporting Lyon's management, including leading the appeals process with the DNCG (French Football Finance Supervisory Authority). John Textor resigned from Lyon's leadership positions, including the board" he said. Lyon were relegated to Ligue 2, France's second wife, following a financial audit. The club said it would appeal the case.
Chairman Kang's entry into the men's soccer field, which was once considered the exclusive property of men, is symbolic.
Kang, a billionaire, entered the soccer field in 2019 and stood tall as a `big man' in the women's soccer field for the first time in five years. It acquired Washington Spirit of the U.S. Women's Soccer League, the French women's team in Olympique Lyon, and the English club London City Lionesses. After confirming the potential of the women's soccer community, Kang dreamed of becoming a global soccer company like City Football Group. City Football Group owned Manchester City (England), New York City (MLS), Melbourne City (Australia), and Yokohama Marinos (Japan). Chairman Kang has invested at least $200 million so far, including the acquisition of three clubs and donations from the U.S. Soccer Federation (30 million dollars, about 40.6 billion won). At the time of the 2022 acquisition, Spirit's club value was estimated at $35 million (about 47.3 billion won), and Forbes currently estimates Spirit's value at $130 million (about 176 billion won). He is confident that the value of the women's soccer team will be more than $1 billion (about 1.35 trillion won) in the distant future.
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Chairman Kang said, `I am a lucky immigrant who realized the American dream. Now it's my turn to provide an opportunity. I can't guarantee an equal outcome, but I want to provide equal opportunities. I hope more people, especially disadvantaged and poor young people, will achieve their dreams,' he said, explaining why he jumped into the sports world, which was not his usual interest.
Kang, who has been interested in sports since childhood, said, `I've watched incredibly talented young girls and women have to give up their dreams because they don't have viable career paths. Too many girls quit sports just before they go to college or when their periods start at the age of 11 or 12. I want to provide an environment where young women pursue their dreams without any restrictions, like the boy next door"
Chairman Kang said, `I want to prove that women's sports are good business. There's a huge gap between the present and the future, but it's amazing that no one's seeing it."This is not charity. It's a serious investment. I think as a woman, it's almost insulting that players at a global level are considered by some to be 'DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Project)'. I want to solve these problems by applying my business skills," he stressed.
Now Kang has jumped into the men's soccer field as well. The most urgent task is to revive the crumbling Lyon.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
