The idea is not new. For many years, some presidents of Ligue 2 and National have been campaigning to transform the National into Ligue 3, and thus establish professional status for the third level of French football. In 2018, the project was presented to the governing bodies (FFF and LFP) by the great family of the National, with the target of 2020 as the horizon.
Not enough revenue “to be a real pro league”
The idea was then to take advantage of the expected increase in TV rights over the period 2020-2024 to benefit from a piece of the pie. The file was ultimately not successful, but it remained a sea serpent. Questioned on this subject this Sunday in the columns of Bien Public, Philippe Diallo for once opened the door to a Ligue 3. The head of the French Football Federation would like to “launch a reflection within the framework of a next mandate on the creation of a professional Ligue 3”.
“Mechanically, the National is increasingly formed by clubs with professional status, the sporting conditions are those of a high-level Division, but which lacks the income to be a real pro league. The question is to support the development of the resources of this Division to make it a real pro league”, he stressed, specifying that the Federation currently supports the National to the tune of 6.7 million euros.
However, his position has changed considerably since he indicated to L’Equipe in May 2023 that Ligue 3 was “not on the agenda”.
- RMC Sport
