A second president leaves the race for the new LFP board of directors. As announced by L’Equipe and confirmed by RMC Sport, Waldemar Kita, president of FC Nantes, will not run for the League’s board of directors, whose election of the new president is scheduled for September 10. The Nantes manager imitates Joseph Oughourlian, president of Lens, who announced his withdrawal Thursday in a message on his Linkedin account. He denounced “a sham election” and regretted the failure of the TV rights with an agreement with 500 million euros per season, far from the billion targeted by Vincent Labrune, current president and favorite for his own succession against the other candidate Cyril Linette.
“A bit regrettable”
“We are told that we could not do better on the amount of rights because there would be a global crisis of sports rights,” wrote the Artois manager. “Looking at the other leagues, I find it hard to believe. (…) It would all be the fault of Canal+, which would target French football. This excuse is a convenient excuse and ignores the treatment that Canal has been subjected to in the recent past! (…) We are told to cut the costs of the LFP without even mentioning the lunar emoluments of its directors…”
Former supporters of Labrune, Oughourlian and Kita have distanced themselves from the LFP boss, criticized for his failure in the negotiation on TV rights but also for his emoluments (1.2 million euros gross annually) voted by the CA. Their withdrawal somewhat upsets Daniel Riolo, journalist and columnist of After Foot on RMC “I find it a bit regrettable even if I understand what they want to do”, confides Daniel Riolo. “I think that contrary to what is said, behind the scenes, the opposition was strong enough to bring him down (Labrune). There are people who we are convinced will vote for Labrune who will not vote for him. If Oughourlian and Kita throw in the towel when they could have been opponents on the ground, I find it a bit of a shame. I think there was room, by a small margin, to win (for the opposition). With the withdrawal of these two people, there is no possibility of a majority.” According to the statutes of the LFP, the president is elected by the general assembly, by secret ballot, as soon as the board of directors is elected, which chooses him.
- RMC Sport