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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Raphaël Jucobin

Jean-Michel Aulas ruffles feathers in Lyon after swapping football for politics

JeanMichel Aulas Lyon Football Grégory Doucet Karim Benzema Quentin Deranque FFF Les Républicains
Jean Michel Aulas speaks at his Lyon mayoral campaign launch event
Jean Michel Aulas on stage during the launch evening of his electoral campaign in September 2025. Photograph: Matthieu Delaty/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

Karim Benzema doesn’t often involve himself in French politics. At the end of January, though, the striker gave a glowing endorsement of Jean-Michel Aulas, the former Lyon president who is leading the city’s mayoral race.

“He has everything it takes to do well,” Benzema said in a video played on the news channel LCI as Aulas was being interviewed. “He’s someone who people listen to, he knows where he wants to go and he has a lot of experience,” the former Real Madrid player added. The Lyon-born striker was later joined by Bafétimbi Gomis in showing support for their former boss.

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