Eagle Football Holdings Limited today confirmed its support of leadership changes which shall occur at its subsidiary Eagle Football Group (France) and Olympique Lyonnais.
John Textor, Chairman and majority owner of Eagle Football Holdings, acting in his capacity as the sole director, and on behalf of the sole shareholder, of Olympique Lyonnais, today appointed Michael Gerlinger to the position of Director General (CEO), and Michele Kang to the position of Chair and President. Mr. Textor has resigned from his leadership positions at Olympique Lyonnais, in favor of the appointment of Ms. Kang and Mr. Gerlinger.
Michele Kang, who is also a leading shareholder of Eagle Football Holdings, has served on the OL board since 2023, has been appointed Chair and President. She will take an active role in supporting OL’s executive management, including spearheading the club’s appeal process with the DNCG.
Michael Gerlinger, currently Chief Sports Officer of Eagle Football, has been appointed Director General of Olympique Lyonnais. A widely respected figure in European football administration, Michael brings over two decades of experience in governance, regulatory affairs and sporting operations.
Mr. Textor remains Chairman, CEO and majority owner of Eagle Football Holdings (UK), principal owner of SAF Botafogo (Brazil), Olympique Lyonnais (France), Crystal Palace FC (England) and Daring Brussels (Belgium). In terms of day-to-day responsibilities, he will now re-focus his attention on SAF Botafogo, Daring Brussels and Eagle’s Football club acquisition strategies in the UK.
Chairman and CEO, John Textor said:
“I am extremely proud of the global sporting successes of Eagle Football, with historic championships, cup wins, and tournament qualifications in Brazil, France and England, but it’s clear that we must make changes in our management approach, if we expect to be as effective off-the-pitch, as we are on-the-pitch.”
Regarding Olympique Lyonnais, “Each of our clubs and communities deserve leadership, with a strong local presence, and the acumen to overcome both the sporting and the non-sporting challenges that we face. It’s obvious to everyone that Michele is a perfect choice to lead OL, and I am thrilled for our community that she has accepted the job.”
He continued, “On a personal level, I am truly looking forward to the reduction of my day-to-day management responsibilities in Europe, so I can focus on markets where we have the full freedom to run our football clubs…to invest, innovate, grow and compete. OL in great hands with Michele, and I will focus on Botafogo, Daring Brussels and our next club in England.”
About Eagle Football Holdings Limited
INSPIRED BY FOOTBALL, DRIVEN BY FOOTBALL…MUCH MORE THAN FOOTBALL
Eagle Football is a sports, entertainment and technology company that engages with a global audience through its portfolio of interests in iconic football clubs and related assets around the world. Eagle Football is the leading shareholder of SAF Botafogo (reigning champion of Brazil and South America), Olympique Lyonnais (historic multi-year champion of France), Crystal Palace Football Club (2025 FA Cup Champion), and Daring Brussels.
Fueled by our portfolio of iconic football clubs, our passionate, global audience, and our position as a preferred destination for players-our goal is to build the leading football-related enterprise on Earth. We operate on the belief that the audience of a club is always more valuable than the club, and our scalable entertainment and technology strategies are designed to maximize our total addressable market opportunity, far beyond the reach of typical football clubs. Our mission is to create value for our shareholders by being a champion for our players, our clubs, our fans and our communities, and the magnificent game of football.
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SOURCE: Eagle Football Holdings Limited