“I am committed to raising the standard of excellence,” Michele Kang once remarked after making a generous donation to U.S. Soccer to uplift the women’s program. If that wasn’t enough, her involvement with not one but three women’s domestic teams proves she is the very embodiment of excellence in the sport—all while building her own remarkable journey as an entrepreneur. And once again, it was none other than Kang who stepped up to achieve something so significant with Olympique Lyonnais that it even left someone like Midge Purce in disbelief.

In a remarkable development, the French club Olympique Lyonnais (OL) has announced a major leadership change by appointing Michele Kang as the Club President and CEO of Eagle Football Group. Already having been a part of the European team as a member of OL’s Board since 2023 as the third-largest shareholder of OL as well as the majority shareholder of the women’s team, OL Lyonnes, the 66-year-old will now take the role of CEO and president.

Interestingly, the news quickly spread across the internet and even grabbed the attention of USWNT forward Midge Purce, who made sure to highlight just how significant it was. Sharing Olympique Lyonnais’ post on X that announced the milestone, the Gotham FC star retweeted it with an enthusiastic caption: “People don’t understand how insane this is. incredible.”

Notably, Kang has taken over this role from American businessman John Textor, who stepped down from his leadership position, including the Board of Directors. Commenting on the latest development, the stakeholder of NWSL side Washington Spirit and WSL’s London City Lionesses said, “We are entering a critical period for OL and I would like to thank John for his commitment and vision in bringing the club into the Eagle Football family.”

Simultaneously, Textor also bid farewell to the French giants, saying, “I am extremely proud of our sporting successes at OL,” as he praised the club’s achievements under his leadership, which included a successful rebuild and an emphatic return to European competitions over the past two years after a long absence.

Further expressing his confidence in Kang’s ability to lead the club to greater heights, Textor added, “Michele is the ideal choice to lead OL in the next phase and I have full confidence in her and in OL, who will emerge stronger under her leadership.”

Meanwhile, Michael Gerlinger, who has been working at Eagle Football Holdings as a Sporting Director, has taken the role of CEO of Olympique Lyonnais. While he would be looking forward to making a significant contribution role in the club, the question is can he, alongside Michele Kang, save the club from drowning?

Can Michele Kang save Olympique Lyonnais from troubled waters?

Olympique Lyonnais is currently stuck between a rock and a hard place. Unfortunately, French football’s financial watchdog (DNCG) decided to provisionally relegate the club back in November over financial concerns. The call was upheld during a meeting between John Textor and the French football watchdog last week. That only forced the club to criticize the decision, insisting they fully cooperated with DNCG, even fulfilling all of its requirements.

Coincidentally, this setback came just a day after Textor had sold a 43% stake in Premier League side Crystal Palace. Then again, these financial woes had ignited since last October, when the Eagle Football Group disclosed debts of roughly £422 million ($575 million). Though countless efforts have been made by the club to stabilize its finances, even offloading big names, Lyon eventually failed to convince the authorities that their finances have improved enough to see the sanctions get lifted.

Fast forward to today, the club announced the exit of Textor, with Michele Kang stepping in to play an active role in guiding the club’s executives while also leading the club’s case with the French financial watchdog, the DNCG. “I look forward to working closely with Michael, the OL management team, and the Board of Directors to support the club throughout the DNCG proceedings and beyond,” remarked Kang.

Of course, Michael Gerlinger is the man who will come quite handy to Kang. After all, the chief executive brings more than two decades of experience in governance, regulatory affairs, and sports operations. His previous stint saw him work with FC Bayern Munich as Vice President of Sports Operations. Hence, together, they would be looking to figure out a way to save Olympique Lyonnais from deep trouble.