What financial future for Ligue 1?

If football is the people’s sport, the crux of the matter is money. To remain competitive in this context, financial means are needed., and therefore truly great negotiators.

Financial aspect, Labrune style

It’s no secret that to survive in the professional world you need to be profitable, especially in football. It is impossible to be competitive without having a regular income that allows you to develop your youth sector or your transfer history with reinforcements. For those who still don’t know, money transfers are not the only income that clubs receive, the majority income is that linked to image rights.

These revenues vary greatly from one championship to another, the most watched championship is the Premier League, it is normal for clubs in the English championship to have higher revenues than those in other competitions. But what about our good old Ligue 1? As many know, the person who presides over the Professional Football League is none other than Vincent Labrune, so he is the one in charge of negotiating the television rights and, obviously, this will prove complicated in the future.

Nasser president of PSG and sponsor of Ligue 1?

Ligue 1’s No. 1 broadcaster was previously Canal+, which had strong ties to the French league leaders. Since Labrune’s arrival there have been some changes in this direction. If we already look at the very high emoluments that the current president allows himself, he too has completely changed the direction of his broadcasts in favor of his relationship with the leader of Paris Saint-Germain. Thinking that there would be a struggle of interests to grant the rights to the scudetto, the completely opposite effect occurred. Canal + withdrew from the negotiations, the name of the competition fell into the hands of McDonald, DAZN offered a production at a discounted price (no pre-match and comedians on the sidelines), while BeIn has not yet paid the clubs their due despite it being November…

If European clubs do not seem affected (they mainly depend on television rights for European competitions), smaller clubs such as Le Havre, Montpellier or Angers risk being given a very hard time. Their economic as well as sporting future could be seriously jeopardized by a management worthy of the highest amateurism. An amateurism that will have an even higher price, given that the leaders of the professional clubs have decided, following a vote, to once again rely on Vincent Labrune’s talent as an expert negotiator… A magnificent case of the snake biting its own tail.