Editorial of the “World”. French professional football is at a decisive moment in its history. Faced with a double crisis, health and financial, it is imperative to take radical decisions to adapt its organization. Already weakened by a pandemic which dragged on, Ligue 1 experienced an unprecedented earthquake with the failure of the television broadcaster Mediapro.
The cumulative deficit of the twenty professional elite clubs now stands at more than 1.3 billion euros. The scale of the difficulties necessitates rethinking an economic model that has run out of steam, too dependent on television rights, which had reached unreasonable amounts. The solutions are known and some are likely to impose themselves.
The most obvious relates to the reduction in the wage bill, which represents on average more than half of the operating costs of Ligue 1 clubs. The reduction in staff numbers, which can sometimes exceed thirty players in the richest teams, appears inevitable. At the same time, there is the question of the salary cap, on the model of what has been introduced in the Rugby Top 14 since 2010.
Often mentioned, never really considered, this small revolution has so far come up against the idea that French football could not impose such a cure of austerity in isolation. Faced with much better endowed championships, such as England, Spain, Germany and Italy, Ligue 1 would lose considerably in competitiveness.
Excellent training centers
The risk of talent drain is real. But other championships have their own difficulties. The English Premier League finds itself hampered by Brexit, while the big Spanish clubs are crumbling in debt. Across Europe, the transfer market will take time to regain the heights it has seen in recent years. French football must take advantage of this to reinvent itself.
With their backs to the wall, clubs must now be imaginative, trying to do as well with less resources. The bet is difficult, but not impossible. The modest Atalanta Bergamo team can be an example to follow. Despite a budget much lower than that of the best clubs in the Champions League, the Italians managed to reach the quarter-finals of the competition thanks to intelligent recruitment allowing to develop an efficient playing system.
French football has a major advantage thanks to excellent training centers. This precious pool of up-and-coming players has helped win two World Cups in the space of twenty years. The challenge is to keep this youth on the lawns of Ligue 1. The National Union of Professional Footballers, the union that defends the rights of French players, thus evokes the idea of establishing a period of three years during which transfers to abroad would not be possible for the youngest of them. The proposal deserves to be discussed.
But, beyond these technical measures, to relaunch on a sound basis, French football needs above all to rethink the spectacle that is offered on the field. Too many boring matches, too many timid coaches, too many players cruelly lacking in ambition have made Ligue 1 lose its attractiveness. The competition has long lived in ease, thanks to the vertiginous inflation of television rights. It’s time to be bold and creative to make a fresh start.