A duel between Vincent Labrune and Cyril Linette is emerging for the presidency of the LFP

There will ultimately be three candidates who will be able to compete for the presidency of the Professional Football League (LFP), whose election is scheduled for September 10. Faced with the current holder of the post for four years, Vincent Labrune, the favorite although criticized for his recent management of the domestic broadcasting rights file for Ligue 1, Cyril Linette has finally qualified to compete, thanks to the intervention of the resigning Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, with the approval of the Elysée.

The former CEO of The team and the PMU had initially failed to gather the sponsorships necessary for the preselection of the contenders. A third man, Karl Olive, deputy (Renaissance) of Yvelines, is also able to run for president. He has not yet specified his intentions and could speak soon to give his position.

“I had to make a formal commitment to the families [du football], anxious to retain a share of votes, not to remain on the board of directors in the event that I am not elected president”reacted this Monday, September 2 on X Cyril Linette. A journalist by training, the man who was also director of sports at Canal+ believes that “French football must review its economic model”while it is once again on the brink of financial crisis. The cause: the disappointing outcome of the allocation of new TV rights this summer, with annual revenue down sharply by 500 million euros.

The election to the presidency of the LFP is a particularly sophisticated process. To be a candidate, you must first be a candidate for one of the three positions of independent administrators on the board of the body, which chooses from among them the one it ultimately presents to the general assembly of the League. Beforehand, the candidates must obtain two separate sponsorships: one from Foot Unis, the grouping of “professional football employers”which represents the community of Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and National clubs; the other, from the Union of Football Actors (UAF), or the “football families”, i.e. the specialized football unions by profession (players, coaches, referees, etc.).

“A scuttling business between friends”

On August 29, the Foot Unis general assembly had chosen to place its trust in four men: Vincent Labrune, who came in first in the votes, Cyril Linette, well placed in second position, Gervais Martel, former president of Racing Club de Lens and the deputy Karl Olive, very close to Emmanuel Macron. Appointed by the French Football Federation to represent it, the latter, who is already part of the LFP board of directors, is assured of being reappointed as an independent member.

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