The decision of the French authorities to suspend the national football championship due to the coronavirus epidemic brought huge financial losses to the clubs.
According to French newspapers, League 1 clubs recorded as much as 500 million euros in losses.
The most difficult situation is in Marseille, Bordeaux, Saint Etienne and Lille, which are on the verge of bankruptcy. The Mediapart website states that only three first league players made a small profit, while the remaining 17 are in the "red". Among the losers, Marseille was the hardest hit, with a deficit of 206,3 million euros.
The biggest loss of money for the clubs is from the TV rights because Kanal+ refused to pay the entire amount due to the fact that a good part of the season was not even played after the championship was interrupted. The clubs were also left without income from tickets, selling souvenirs...
The French government has promised aid of 200 million euros, but it is feared that this will not be enough to cover the costs.
The French League (LFP) immediately reacted with a statement denying the claims made in the Mediapart investigation.
"The league took out a loan guaranteed by the state in order to pay League 1 and League 2 clubs the equivalent of television rights that were not paid after the premature end of the 2019/20 season. The aim is to encourage the activity of professional football and football-related businesses, as well as the financial situation of the clubs and their cash flows required after the final termination of the championship following government measures," LFP said.
Last week, Amiens filed a lawsuit at the Administrative Court demanding that the decision to suspend Ligue 1 be overturned, claiming that the decision by the league management was "unfair and unfounded."
"We believe that this decision is contrary to fairness in sport. It is a sanctioning decision of the League. This decision is unfair and we are forced to fight against this decision, before the court," said club president Bernar Joanin.
The long-term president of Lyon, Jean-Michel Ola, also announced the legal battle, saying that he will seek "tens of millions of euros in damages because the decision to end the championship earlier has left his club without a place in next season's European Cups."
"Only Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Gibraltar and France decided to stop the championships, although in some countries the situation with the coronavirus was even more difficult. However, they are finding solutions," said Ola.
"France is the world champion, but this episode reminds us that it is not a football country. Football is much less important in France than in our four big neighbors, the English, the Spanish, the Italians and the Germans," says Dominik Kurdije, director of the News Tank Football agency.
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