The Professional Football League raided as part of an investigation into suspicions of embezzlement of public funds

Searches are underway, Tuesday, November 5, in the offices of the Professional Football League (LFP) and in those of the CVC investment fund in particular, we learned The World and Agence France-Presse (AFP), confirming information from The Team.

These searches are part of an investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF), into suspicions of embezzlement of public funds, active and passive corruption of public officials and illegal taking of interests. This procedure follows a complaint sent in November 2023, by the AC association!! Anti-Corruption, which notably mentions incidents of misappropriation of public funds that occurred in 2022 during the creation of the LFP commercial company.

This company was created after a partial transfer of capital to the Luxembourg investment fund CVC Capital Partners. The agreement concluded in April 2022 by the LFP with the CVC fund should bring 1.5 billion euros to French professional football, compared to 13.04% of its lifetime income for CVC.

The investigations, entrusted on July 16 to the Paris research section, must clarify the conditions of this agreement and in particular the role of the various protagonists. According to The Teamsearches are also underway at the home of Vincent Labrune, the president of the LFP. The AFP and The World have not had confirmation at this stage of these searches.

The commercial company had also interested parliamentarians, who appointed a commission of inquiry into it in April. However, they reviewed the scope of their own investigations so as not to encroach on the work of the PNF. The senators are interested, in a more general way, in the intervention of investment funds in French professional football.