The Senate has published a report following a six-month investigation into professional Football in France, including 60 hearings and visits to the Professional Football League (LFP). Senators Laurent Lafon and Michel Savin, chairing this mission, propose 35 recommendations to, in particular, strengthen governance, improve transparency and combat piracy. This report, unanimously approved by the members of the Committee on Culture, Education, Communication and Sport, could lead to a law discussed in the Senate from the first half of 2025.
The report underlines that the Ministry of Sports and the French Football Federation (FFF) must resume a role of control over the LFP, delegated within the framework of subdelegation. Over the years, this legal link has loosened, leaving the LFP with great autonomy. The senators recommend that the League report annually to the FFF and the ministry to re-establish this supervisory link.
Conflicts of interest at all levels of the LFP!
The report highlights several dysfunctions in the governance of the LFP, noting decisions taken in haste, the absence of contradictory debates and information not shared with administrators, in particular during the creation of the commercial subsidiary of the League , supported by financing of 1.5 billion euros from CVC Capital Partners. The senatorial mission advocates more transparent and participatory governance, in order to avoid key decisions being imposed without consensus.
To improve ethics, the report proposes that the president of the commercial subsidiary of the League should not be paid if he is also president of the LFP, thus targeting Vincent Labrune. In addition, it is recommended to introduce an incompatibility between the functions of member of the board of directors of the League and the holding of interests in an audiovisual broadcasting company, a measure targeting Nasser al-Khelaïfi, president of PSG and leader from beIN Media Group. The report also suggests a cap on the remuneration of presidents of professional leagues, comparable to that of public companies, as well as a limit on their severance pay.
A DNCG under the authority of the FFF?
The senators recommend strengthening the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG) to better monitor club finances, especially after the transfer period, and propose attaching the DNCG to the Federation. In collaboration with the Court of Auditors, the DNCG could also monitor the finances of the League and its subsidiaries to ensure their compliance with budgetary commitments.
Finally, the report addresses the fight against piracy, a crucial issue for the economic model of French football, particularly with the arrival of DAZN, which broadcasts eight Ligue 1 matches for an amount of 325 million euros this season. Piracy, which threatens this model, could be the subject of legislative measures to protect the legal market. The president of Le Havre, Jean-Michel Roussier, welcomes this report, hoping that reforms will be quickly put in place to ensure the economic and moral survival of French professional football.
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