His tweet did not go unnoticed. On Monday, Ada Hegerberg, the Norwegian striker from Lyon, castigated on her social networks the attitude of the French Football Federation (FFF) which, according to her, prefers to apply for the European Women’s Championship in 2025 rather than to look into the difficulties of the French championship. “We’ve been picking up” since the 2019 World Cup, said the first Ballon d’Or in history.
This Wednesday, Jean-Michel Aulas, its president at OL, returned to this “case” during a press conference which aimed to present Lindsey Horan, the winter rookie. “It was a bit clumsy on Ada’s part, smiled the boss of Lyon, because it put me in an uncomfortable situation but without knowing it. »
Member of the COMEX (Executive Committee) of the French Federation and support of Noël Le Graët during the last election to the presidency of the body, Aulas also specified that he had to take his phone to “apologize” to the President of the FFF. “There was a little discomfort following the tweet and I called the president of the Federation to apologize. »
According to JMA, the Federation does not neglect women’s competitions. “The Federation has created a high-level women’s football commission, it’s a sort of League within the Federation,” he said. I happily agreed to take over the presidency. It is a commission of ten people which should make it possible to plan for the future. »
And to compete with developing countries like England or Spain. “We can still see that the level of attendance in the stadiums is infinitely higher than other women’s sports which regularly win medals,” he continues. There is really a rise in women’s football. We also see it with the sponsors, the income levels are higher than the level of the men’s Ligue 2. Ada complained regarding the level of other clubs, but we see this season that there are five clubs at OL level: PSG, Montpellier, Bordeaux, PFC and even Fleury. The competition is much tougher. »
During his intervention, Aulas also showed solidarity with his player, believing that it was necessary to listen to the criticisms of the main concerned. “When it is the perception of the players, it must be taken into account, assures JMA. We are preparing to create a commission of players so that they can bring us all the subjects. This gives me even more elements to propose adjustments to the calendar, the professional license, the restructuring of the championships. A whole host of decisions will be taken during the next Comex. “Perhaps something to reassure Ada Hegerberg…
