What Pierre Sage really said to Textor before leaving OL

The former OL coach, Pierre Sage, finally came out of silence almost a month after his eviction. In an interview with the team, he returns without bitterness to his departure, while revealing a certain frustration. If his assessment pleads in his favor, he had to give way to Paulo Fonseca, a strategic choice of the Lyon management. But before leaving the club, Sage wanted to have a final discussion with John Textor.

A meeting with Textor before leaving

Contrary to what one might think, Pierre Sage does not want the owner of OL. However, he could have fed resentment after a brutal sidelines when he had just revived a club in the midst of a crisis. But before turning the page, he wanted to meet John Textor to send him a clear message.

“I wanted to thank him for giving me this chance”,

said the former Lyon coach. He also wanted to remind him that he had seized this opportunity with brilliance and that he was not just a passing temporary worker.

A departure more political than sporting

Sage knows this: his departure is not based solely on sporting criteria. OL was only four points from the podium at the time of its eviction. But the choice of Paulo Fonseca was already acted, and Textor wanted a coach with a more assertive pedigree on the European scene. “My departure is the consequence of an emotional decision which is not based solely on factual aspects”recognizes wise. An elegant way of saying that it was sacrificed on the altar of a market opportunity.

Wise, far from being a magician

After his departure, John Textor praised the work of Pierre Sage, going so far as to speak of “magic” to describe his impact on the team. But the interested party did not really appreciate this qualifier. “” I don't feel like I’m Gérard Majax ”he quipped. For him, the Lyon success under his mandate was above all the fruit of the hard work of the staff and the players, not at a magic wand.

A future that could be written in Lyon

Despite this hasty departure, Sage remains attached to OL. He does not explain to one day returning to the Lyon bench, convinced that he will have the opportunity to prove his value again. “I know that one day I will come back to train OL”, he says with confidence. In the meantime, he takes the time to choose his next destination, refusing the offers that do not correspond to his ambitions.

Pierre Sage would no doubt have deserved to continue his adventure at OL, but he had to comply with the harsh reality of football. His departure is not a personal failure, quite the contrary. His flashing at the head of the club left an indelible trace and a certainty: it may be only goodbye.