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| Monday, July 29, 2002 21:50 EST |
Lyon aiming to repeat as champs
[Reuters]
PARIS -- The French first division may
have changed its name in a quest for a new lease of life but
League One will start in subdued mood on Saturday after France's
humiliating World Cup failure.
Lyon's Sonny Anderson is back to terrorize opposing defenses.
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In another change, the number of clubs in the top flight has
been increased from 18 to 20 but most are under the shadow of
financial strain and the transfer market has been as depressed
as the Paris stock exchange on a bank holiday.
Olympique Lyon is the only buoyant club after winning its
first league title last season. The team is now aiming to become
the first French club to make it two in a row since Olympique
Marseille in 1992.
Chairman Jean-Michel Aulas reported a record number of
season ticket sales -- 23,000 -- two weeks before the start of
the season. "Our budget will increase by 23 percent to reach 101
million euros ($99.31 million)," he proudly announced.
Under new coach Paul Le Guen -- the title-winning Jacques
Santini quit to succeed axed Roger Lemerre as national coach --
Lyon used its money to retain its high-standard squad.
Brazil's Sonny Anderson, the leading scorer in the first
division last season, and Gregory Coupe, France's World Cup
third-choice goalkeeper, were among the players who agreed to
new contracts.
The only uncertainty was the future of central defender
Edmilson, who won the World Cup with Brazil and is coveted by
several European clubs including Real Madrid.
The 2001 champions Nantes has also been absent from the
transfer market with a budget reduced from 90 to 65 million
euros.
So have Olympique Marseille, who is under strict financial
control and is banned from buying new players unless the team sells
first. "We have to reduce our wage bill by 35 percent," said
Olympique Marseille chief Christophe Bouchet.
Last season's runner-up Lens has discovered a good way to
reduce its costs -- buy and sell talented African players.
"We shall start the season with seven African players and I
hope to sign another one. They are a lot cheaper than French or
European players," coach Joel Muller said.
The club capitalized on last season and on the World Cup by
selling Senegal striker El-Hadji Diouf to Liverpool for $15.63 million.
Senegal's World Cup captain Aliou Cisse also crossed the
Channel. He went back to Paris St. Germain after a year on loan
to Montpellier but was immediately sold to newly-promoted
English premier league side Birmingham City.
PSG found itself in financial turmoil as its owners,
the pay-TV channel Canal Plus, said they wanted to sell the club
as part of a plan to save their debt-laden parent company
Vivendi Universal.
Other sides such as promoted Ajaccio and Nice have more
down-to-earth worries.
For its return to the top level after 29 years in the
wilderness, Ajaccio will have to survive on the smallest budget
(11.43 million euros) of any of the top-flight clubs.
The club will also start the new season without a coach as it is standing by Rolland Courbis who has been banned from soccer
by magistrates investigating a case of alleged fraud involving
transfers when he was coaching Olympique Marseille between 1997
and 1999.
Nice, who also won promotion, was demoted to the third
division on financial grounds before its right to play in
League One was restored on July 19, barely two weeks before
its first championship game.
The club will entertain another promoted club Le Havre while
Ajaccio will travel to Strasbourg who is back with the elite
after a year in the second division.
Lyon will open its campaign at Guingamp, PSG will host AJ
Auxerre and Marseille will meet Nantes in Lyon after it was
suspended from using its Stade Velodrome for the first game of
the season following crowd trouble during a game against Paris
St. Germain last season.
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