October 6 – The French League (LFP) and the French Football Federation (FFF) have reportedly asked the government for €215 million of Covid-19 relief to make up for the shortfall in gate revenues following the decision to limit fan attendance.
The bulk of that amount covers France’s top two divisions who have said they will lose €125 million in ticketing revenue and €67 million in hospitality income. The predicted losses cover the period from July to the end of December 2020.
The French Federation reckons it will be short of €23 million of revenue from having no fans at the Coupe de France final and national team home games.
France were the first of country in Europe to cancel its season when the pandemic struck in March, much to the dismay of many of its clubs who felt that it could have been played to a conclusion and safeguarded TV revenues and the sporting integrity of the top two tiers of the game.
The LFP renegotiated its domestic TV contract with broadcasters Canal Plus and beIN Sport in May, while also taking a government loan, believed to be €224.5 million, to cover the loss of broadcast revenue as a result of the forced cancellation.
Persuading the French government to release more money for football will be difficult. The government has previously earmarked just €100 million of central funding to support sport in the country.
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