Lyon, 14 December 2011
The Board of Directors of OL Groupe today acknowledged the recent events and approved the following decisions:
1/ Approval of the land use plan by the Greater Lyon Community Council
As announced in the press release of 13 December 2011, a large majority of the Greater Lyon Community Council has approved the revised land use plan for the Grand Montout site in Décines, with 108 votes in favour, 16 abstentions and 28 votes against the plan.
The nine favourable opinions rendered by the investigators (Commissaires Enquêteurs) and the vote to amend the land use plan mark a crucial milestone in the "Stade des Lumières" project and will enable all of the partners (French State, Rhône General Council, Greater Lyon, Sytral - the Greater Lyon transport union, the town of Décines and Olympique Lyonnais) to pursue this exemplary project and adhere to the projected schedule, with the construction permit due to be obtained at the beginning of February 2012 and the stadium to be delivered in the 2nd quarter of 2014.
2/ Decision of 13 December rendered by Lyon industrial tribunal
Olympique Lyonnais recognised the decision rendered on 13 December 2011 by the Lyon industrial tribunal rejecting all of the claims – amounting to over €5 million – filed by Claude Puel in the action he initiated following his dismissal for serious misconduct.
3/ Appointment of two new directors, Sidonie Mérieux and Annie Famose
The Board of Directors today appointed two new directors.
- Sidonie Mérieux, a graduate of the EM Lyon business school, founded HeR Value, a recruitment consultancy. Prior to assuming responsibility for partnerships and communication at Sport dans la Ville (France's leading association for integration through sports), Ms Mérieux was a consultant at Image 7 for four years.
- Annie Famose had a career as a very high-level skier, with 8 Olympic and Alpine World Ski Championship medals to her name. Elected business woman of the year in 2005, and holder of an advanced degree from the ESSEC business school, Ms Famose is now the head of a group specialising in winter sports activities, including the Skiset network federating 800 stores.
The Board of Directors is pleased to count two women among its members, ensuring a better gender ratio in the governance of the company.
4/ Strategic priorities
Against a backdrop of profound changes in the European football environment, OL Groupe's board of directors approved the update of its strategic five-year plan and set four priority targets:
- Ongoing economic viability, by developing the resources that will accrue once the new stadium (Stade des Lumières) is built; a progressive reduction of payroll of around €20 million; player registration sales totalling around €40 million in order to reduce player registration amortisation expenses;
- Ensuring the club holds on to its assets, by extending player contracts;
- Football performance as a result of optimised recruiting and innovative training, integrating the values of consistent play and overall player development;
- Developing and promoting women's football, as well as implementing a company-wide policy based on sustainable development.
5/ Sporting results to date
On the sporting front, the men's team, currently in fourth place of French Ligue 1, has qualified for the ninth consecutive year in the Champions League round of 16. The knockout draws on 16 December 2011 will determine which of the following teams OL will face: Arsenal, Bayern, Barcelona, Apoel, Benfica, Inter Milan or Chelsea. The men’s team has also qualified for the quarter-final round of the Coupe de la Ligue.
The women's team, currently in second place of Division 1, has qualified for the quarter final of the Women's Champions League.
| OL Groupe Laurence Morel Garrett Tel: +33 4 26 29 67 33 Fax: +33 4 26 29 67 13 Email: dirfin@olympiquelyonnais.com www.olweb.fr |
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