Speaking to LCP, the head of French football’s financial watchdog, the DNCG, Jean-Marc Mickeler, gave a damning assessment of the existing financial situation for the majority of clubs.
“Without a massive injection from existing shareholders, it is very unlikely that the majority of clubs will be able to survive the 2021/22 campaign. If they had just had to come up against COVID-19, we could have imagined that a proper level of funding would have allowed for us to pass through this crisis with a minimum number of casualties. But facing this crisis and the defaulting of Mediapro, it was mission impossible.”
On the decision to reduce the number of clubs in Ligue 1 from 2023/24 to 18:
You reduce the offering, you increase the value of the product… In an industry, you listen to your main client. The main client is the broadcaster, and they want fewer matches. If you do not listen to the client when you sell a product, it goes badly.
