Like so many other private companies in difficulty, the Professional Football League (LFP) and its clubs appeal to the State. Complaining of help “Insufficient or unsuitable to continue the activity of the sector”, the sector is calling for a “Emergency support plan” to get out of the crisis. That caused by the Covid-19, which forces the teams to play behind closed doors, after the premature end of the previous season. But also that due to the failure of the Sino-Spanish broadcaster Mediapro, unable to pay the sums promised, and finally replaced at a discount by Canal +, at the beginning of February.
A week after the publication of an alarmist statement, the League obtained a meeting by videoconference with the government, represented by three ministers, Tuesday February 16 in the late morning: Jean-Michel Blanquer (who had criticized the clubs for a form of “Greed” and D’“Unrealism” in the Mediapro file, in November on RTL) and Roxana Maracineanu for sports, Alain Griset for small and medium-sized enterprises.
At the end of this meeting, the ministry in charge of sports announced the constitution shortly of a working group to bring together club leaders and government representatives. Without, for the moment, formalizing measures.
Do not have to repay loans guaranteed by the state
Tuesday’s discussion first gave the floor to four club presidents – and owners -: Lyonnais Jean-Michel Aulas, Montpellier Laurent Nicollin, Lorientais Loïc Féry, and Pierre-Olivier Murat, in Ligue 2, to Rodez; as well as Vincent Labrune, boss of the League.
On condition of anonymity, one of these presidents sums up the argument to justify their approach: a professional football club, he insists, “It’s more than sport”. That is to say tens or even hundreds of administrative employees, as well as indirect employment. Not to mention social security contributions, while player salaries represent the main expense item in Ligue 1 – the median salary of a player is around 43,000 euros gross per month this season, according to our information.
In November 2020, the state indicated that it had released nearly 4 billion euros in aid to the entire sports world since the pandemic. Of which a considerable part in professional football.
The clubs and the League have thus taken out loans guaranteed by the State (PGE). Or 600 million euros. As promised in November, the first repayments of these special loans will have to be made no earlier than 2022, and not in 2021.
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