Would Lyon's real challenger please stand up

So will the real challenger to Lyon please stand up?

For the sake of French domestic football, which prides itself on equality, a genuine candidate must be found to halt Lyon’s domination. Bordeaux, Marseille, PSG, Rennes anyone? Stade de Reims?

At the start of the season I really thought this was the year the seven-time French champions would be knocked off their lofty perch.

Last season Bordeaux came close and Marseille finished strongly. There were certainly good signs from both. Enough at least to suggest they would both be a force this time around.

Traditional glamour club Paris St Germain also bolstered its side with French internationals Ludovic Giuly and Claude Makelele, as well as picking up giant striker Guillaume Hoarau, who has scored eight times since joining from Le Harve.



Plus they have one of only four coaches in the league that has actually won the title - Paul Le Guen.

Early on the signs were good, Lyon were dropping points and the others were keeping up. The pressure on the champs started to percolate. The dynasty looked shaky.

A couple of months on and Claude Puel’s side have gone seven-points clear at the top. History shows there’s not much chance of stopping them.

So what happened? Marseille were the first to falter. Last weekend, when 2-0 up against struggling Lorient, Eric Gerets’ side threw the game away in the second half, conceding three goals in the last 15 minutes.

Bordeaux’s credentials were also tested against Lyon at the weekend. Despite a spirited effort, Laurent Blanc’s men lacked the killer instinct in front of goal and failed in their biggest test, losing 2-1 at the Stade Gerland. They now sit nine points off the pace in sixth.

PSG’s indifferent start to the campaign has also hurt their title chances, although they may be able to claw back the 10-point gap they continue the form that saw them defeat Marseille 4-2 at the Velodrome recently. However this seems unlikely, especially if Hoarau or Giuly get injured or suspended.

It hasn’t always been like this in France. Ligue 1 was always thought of as a place of equality, where any team could win the championship. Like minnows Auxerre in 1996 under the tutelage of legendary coach Guy Roux.

From 1993 until 2002 (when Lyon won the first of seven-straight championships) six different teams took the title. In all, 17 sides have won the championship since the league became professional in 1932.

But for the past seven years that equality has been smashed apart by Lyon’s success.

And the club’s ascendancy hasn’t come about because of sudden multi-million dollar investment.

The foundation for Lyon’s domination began back in 1987 when Jean-Micahel Aulas took control of the then-second division club. He had a 15-year plan to take the side into European football. He built up what became the best youth academy in the country.

Lyon also established an eagle eye scouting network in Brazil, which has seen the likes of Juninho, Cris and Fred move to the club. Couple that with a stable administration and bang! You have a seven-time champion who can bring in new players and coaches and still have a title winning side.

The problem for Ligue 1 is that no side has been able to keep up with Lyon's player development or recruitment (although it is now believed that Rennes have the country’s best youth academy).

The roll-on effect of Lyon constantly winning and playing in the UEFA Champions League is that they can afford to offload their best players like Michael Essien (to Chelsea for $50m), Florent Malouda (to Chelsea for$40m), Mahamadou Diarra (to Real Madrid for $50m) and re-stock the talent cupboard with all the cash they make.

Imagine what they’ll get for Karim Benzema, who could surpass all of these guys.



The result is that they've generated by far the largest revenue stream in Ligue 1.

Although they can play some excellent football at times there’s no doubt the French game will suffer if a challenger to Lyon isn’t found.

But unless the financial landscape changes drastically or Rennes begin to reap the rewards of their youth system, Lyon may even break Latvian giants Skonto Riga's world record 14 straight domestic titles.