Published 17:02 IST, April 29th 2020
Ligue 1 cancellation to set French top-flight clubs back by €200 million
The Ligue 1 cancellation will lead to a number of financial setbacks for French top-flight clubs as PSG await a decision to be crowned champions.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
The shock announcement that read "Ligue 1 cancelled" on April 28 sent football fans across France into meltdown. The primary reason for the Ligue 1 cancelled was the outbreak of the coronavirus in France. However, with Ligue 1 cancelled, the decision is likely to have a collateral impact on Ligue 1 finances as the French top flight is expected to lose out on nearly €200 million in TV revenue.
Ligue 1 cancelled: Ligue 1 finances to take a hit
On Tuesday, France Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that no sporting events will take place in the country at least until September, due to the COVID-19 plague. This effectively led to a confirmation of the Ligue 1 cancelled reports with no chance of hosting games behind closed doors. The Ligue 1 cancellation, however, will likely lead to an unprecedented impact on Ligue 1 finances.
Ligue 1 cancelled: French top division to lose out on €200m
According to reports from Italian newspaper Calcio e Finanza, calculations of the Ligue 1 finances were done at the time when the Ligue 1 cancelled news broke earlier in March. Although the Ligue 1 finances are relatively minimal in comparison to other top Leagues in Europe, the French top division is still set for a staggering €200 million jolt. Clubs in France will now have to survive without the revenue of the TV income.
BeIN Sports immediately froze the payments to teams when the Ligue 1 season was suspended. Ligue 1 defending champions Paris Saint-Germain earned €56.82 million in TV rights during the 2018-19 season but surprisingly, Huddersfield Town, who finished last on the Premier League table earned nearly double of PSG's revenue through TV sponsorship, raking in €109.7 million last season.
PSG and Neymar to be crowned Ligue 1 champions?
The governing body of domestic football leagues in France, Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) had initially announced a resumption of the Ligue 1 by June 17 with full training to resume in mid-May. However, the Prime Minister's decision to cancel all sporting events reportedly took the LFP by surprise. PSG was at the summit of the Ligue 1 table when coronavirus suspended football in France; 12 points ahead of Marseille in 2nd place with one game remaining. However, a decision will be made on April 30 to decide whether PSG will be awarded their ninth Ligue 1 title.
Updated 17:02 IST, April 29th 2020