World Soccer - UK (2019-09)

systems and his name as a president of
Olympique Lyonnais.
The presidents of French football
clubs are often big personalities, running
their clubs like fiefdoms, and Aulas is very
much of the type. He has owned OL for
more than three decades and the club
is synonymous with him.
Newcomers to the women’s game may
suspect Aulas’ investment is a response
to PSG’s financial hold on the French
men’s game but it long predates that.
Lyon’s men’s team were in the middle
of a seven-season title-winning streak
when Aulas, at the suggestion of the
city’s politicians, took over the club in

2004. Having won five league titles in
      the 1990s they had developed financial
      problems. Aulas, who had often promoted
      women to senior positions in his
      companies, decided to not just rescue
      the club but to make it the best.
      Inspiration came from his friend Louis
      Nicollin, the late owner of Montpellier
      and a similar larger-than-life president
      who had also taken over a local women’s
      team which was in the process of winning
      back-to-back titles.
      Aulas sought to make an immediate
      impact, taking advantage of a hiatus in
      the US professional scene to sign Hope
      Solo and Aly Wagner for cameos. The
      team moved towards a more professional
      set-up and within three years Lyon were
      French champions, a status they have
      not relinquished.
      Having reached the top, Aulas set
      about ensuring they stay there with,

according to Reuters, an epiphany when

he found himself wringing out wet shirts

at half-time in a Champions League tie

at Arsenal’s Borehamwood ground in

2011. “Next time there will be a second
      set just like for the men, that’s how it’s
      going to work from now on,” he said.
      And so it has. Male and female players
      are treated alike. When Lyon reached the
      Champions League Final this year they
      flew by private plane and were met in
      Budapest by their team coach, which had
      been driven there from France. At the
      club they have similar or shared facilities.
      This is becoming the case elsewhere,
      such as at Manchester City, Chelsea and
      Arsenal, but Lyon were the first. They are,

says Hegerberg, “the perfect model of

how to run a modern club”.

There is, of course, a huge disparity

in salaries, but Lyon are very well paid

by female standards. Ballon d’Or winner

Hegerberg is thought to earn €400,000

a year, with Renard, Marozsan and

Henry on more than €300,000. Regular

starters such as Lucy Bronze are likely

to be on €150,000-€200,000 a year

• around twice what she would receive

EARLY MEETING

FOR BIG GUNS

WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Barcelona v Juventus is the stand-out tie

when the UEFA Women’s Champions

League gets underway. It is a draw that

both whets the appetite but also hastens

the arrival of a group stage.

With the 32 qualifiers thrown straight

into a knockout, the current women’s

competition remains more of a throwback

to the men’s old European Cup than a

female equivalent to the modern men’s

competition. Besides the knockout format,

many “big name” clubs are afforded scant

protection by the seeding system.

This creates mouth-watering ties, but

can also mean an early exit for a major

club. Last year Manchester City went out at

this stage to Atletico Madrid while Juventus,

on their European debut, lost to Brondby.

The season before, Atletico lost to Wolfsburg

and Chelsea put out Bayern Munich.

Juventus have been unlucky again this

time in being paired with last year’s runners-

up. In another notable tie Arsenal, who were

unseeded after five years out of Europe,

meet Fiorentina. On form, Italy will have no

representative in the last 16.

This is likely to increase the lobbying to

UEFA for a group stage to be introduced.

And with back-to-back semi-finalists

Chelsea not even qualifying this time, more

places for clubs from the bigger leagues will

be sought. At present no country has more

than two representatives.

Holders Lyon will be expected to ease past

Ryazan-VDV even though the Russian

champions, being mid-season, would hope

to be sharper, although that seems unlikely

after Lyon won 1-0 away to North Carolina

Courage in the Women’s International

Champions Cup. Ostensibly a friendly, the

result mattered and was impressive given

NWSL champions Courage were mid-season

and Lyon in pre-season.

Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern have

tricky ties, against Sporting Braga and

Kopparbergs/Goteborg respectively, but

Wolfsburg (v Mitrovica), Manchester City (v

Lugano) and Atletico (v Spartak Subotica)

should have few problems.

The one surprise in qualifying was the exit

of last season’s quarter-finalists LSK Kvinner

of Norway. They went out to Anderlecht,

who now meet Kazahkstan’s BIIK Kazygurt.

2019-20

UEFA WOMEN’S

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

ROUND OF 32

Juventus (Ita) v Barcelona (Spa)

Hibernian (Sco) v Slavia Prague (CzR)

Spartak Subotica (Ser) v Atletico Madrid (Spa)

Braga (Por) v Paris Saint-Germain (Fra)

Vllaznia (Alb) v Fortuna Hjorring (Den)

Chertanovo Moscow (Rus)

v Glasgow City (Sco)

Ryazan-VDV (Rus) v Lyon (Fra)

Arsenal (Eng) v Fiorentina (Ita)

Kopparbergs/Goteborg (Swe)

v Bayern Munich (Ger)

St Polten (Aut) v Twente (Hol)

Anderlecht (Blg) v BIIK Kazygurt (Kaz)

Breidablik (Ice) v Sparta Prague (CzR)

Mitrovica (Kos) v Wolfsburg (Ger)

Pitea (Swe) v Brondby (Den)

Lugano (Swi) v Manchester City (Eng)

Minsk (Bls) v Zurich (Swi)

First legs to be played Sep 11 & 12 ,

second legs Sep 25 & 26

ROUND OF 16

First legs Oct 6 & 17, second legs Oct 30 & 31

QUARTER-FINALS

First legs Mar 24 & 25,

second legs Apr 1 & 2

SEMI-FINALS

First legs Apr 25 & 26,

second legs May 2 & 3

FINAL

May 24, Vienna

Challenge...Lyon’s

Wendie Renard

(centre) and Griedge

Mbock Bathy in

action against North

Carolina Courage

in the International

Champions Cup

Plum tie...Marta

Torrejon of Barcelona

Big personality...Lyon owner Jean-Michel Aulas