Gérard Collomb, Lyon Mayor for sixteen years from 2001 and 2017, has claimed in Lyon Décideurs that former Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas and his Montpellier counterpart, the late Louis Nicollin, rigged a Ligue 1 game between the two clubs twenty years ago. For the 2002-2003 season, Ligue 1 leaders Lyon travelled to relegation-battlers Montpellier at Stade de la Mosson for the penultimate game of the campaign.
He claims that the team needed a win or a draw to pull away from second-placed Monaco and seal their second consecutive Ligue 1 title, whilst Montpellier were in need of a draw or a win to officially reach safety. Regional newspaper Le Progrès, however, has pointed out that the result did not guarantee the title at all and that Collomb’s claim on this front is false – instead, it was Monaco’s defeat which handed Les Gones the Ligue 1 trophy.
According to Collomb, Aulas and close friend Nicollin allegedly found an arrangement for the draw, with instructions given to the players. Collomb recalled that, ten minutes from time with both teams drawing 1-1, Aulas was furious after Lyon attacking midfielder and free-kick maestro Juninho had struck the Montpellier crossbar. “He wanted him off the pitch right away“, says Collomb. “Three minutes later, Juninho was sitting on the bench.“
Eventually, the game ended 1-1 and Lyon were crowned Ligue 1 champions with one game left to play whilst Montpellier finished 16th.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
