A day of deal-making in the French football corridors of power

A more than 4 hour-long LFP Board of Directors meeting, followed by a 2.5 hour meeting of the General Assembly, resulted in a series of deals being made between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 club presidents.

Alongside the vote to facilitate a 22-team Ligue 2 next season, which was passed with 57% support, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs finally agreed to give Ligue 2 the increase in finances as requested from the incoming, new Mediapro deal. Ligue 1 clubs are happy to give an additional €25m to Ligue 2 clubs, so long as in return there is a split in the decision-making process at the LFP level. Ligue 1 clubs will vote exclusively on Ligue 1 matters, and Ligue 2 clubs exclusively on Ligue 2 matters.

The two parties are going to choose delegations from each of their camps and begin a period of mediation to finalise and formalise an arrangement between now and June 20th. This arrangement would see Ligue 2 clubs receive €135m per year from the new TV deal, which runs until 2024, up from the €90m a year they receive on the current TV arrangement.

FFF President Noël Le Graët and his executive committee will have to sign off on the proposal.

Finally, the LFP General Assembly voted through taking on the €215m loan, backed by government bank guarantees, which will be taken out by the LFP in June and which they have four years to pay back. This money will go some way to making up for the TV rights money lost through the truncation of the 2019/20 campaign.

One Ligue 1 club representative summed up the day: “This has been a long and tiring day which might suggest a new union between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 after this crisis.”

The negotiations to come, both on the splitting of the Mediapro money and the splitting of this €215m across the clubs, will tell if this viewpoint rings true or not.

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