July 26 – Qatar-owned broadcaster beIN Sports asked for every player in France’s Ligue 1 next season wear a Visit Qatar badge on their shirt for games shown live.
The request, according to the Guardian newspaper, was part of negotiations for a new TV deal and quotes unnamed “multiple sources” claiming it was made by beIN Media Group chairman, Nasser al-Khelaifi, who is also the president of Paris Saint-Germain, during a meeting between the presidents of several clubs this week.
The Guardian also quotes a source “close to the discussions” at both beIN Sports and PSG as strenuously denying any such request was made.
One club owner who remained anonymous told the paper, however, it was “an attempt to build a captive league”.
Earlier this month, France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) announced it had reached an agreement for Dazn to show the vast majority of live Ligue 1 matches until 2029, with beIN Sports paying €100 million a season for one primetime match a week.
The deal with Dazn is believed to have been ratified by the LFP’s board on Thursday but negotiations with beIN Sports are reportedly still ongoing.
The unnamed source at PSG and beIN Sports cited by the Guardian further described the Qatar Visit badge claims as “an outrageous campaign from those clubs who want to launch an LFP channel direct, rather than have traditional broadcasters”.
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