WHY 8 LIGUE 1 CLUBS ARE AT RISK OF GOING BANKRUPT
- After Bordeaux's fall, 8 Ligue 1 clubs risk similar fate due to TV deal struggles.
- With no TV deal replacement, clubs like Montpellier and Nantes could face big trouble.
- President Labrune's promise of 1B revenue for French football has not materialized.
The football world has been rocked by the recent revelation that Bordeaux were filing for bankruptcy and renouncing their status as a professional football club, but according to a recent report, they might not be the last French team to do so this summer. Having been founded in 1881, the club operated for close to 150 years, but had fallen on hard times recently.
Due to financial difficulties, Bordeaux was relegated from Ligue 1 in 2022 after 30 years in the top flight of French football. That only saw their struggles worsen, and they were administratively relegated from Ligue 2 this year, despite finishing 12th in the table. As a result, the club announced that they were renouncing their status as a professional football club, and were filing for bankruptcy. It's a devastating turn of events for the club, who won the Ligue 1 title as recently as 2009 and competed in the Champions League.
10 Greatest Players in Bordeaux History as French Giants Lose Professional Status
The likes of Zinedine Zidane and Sylvain Wiltord have featured for the club in the past
According to a recent report, though, they might not be the only French football club to suffer that fate this summer. There are eight Ligue 1 teams who may yet follow them down that road.
Failure to Find a TV Deal Could Be Catastrophic
Eight clubs could suffer similar fates to Bordeaux
After Amazon revealed they wouldn't be renewing their deal for the rights to show French football, the nation has struggled to find a replacement TV deal which could have some major financial implications for some of the club's in Ligue 1. According to an interview with an unnamed former president of a Ligue 1 club, via The Guardian, the lack of a television deal won't make much of a difference for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco, but could have devastating consequences for others.
"What will happen if some lose 25m every year and they are not owned by a billionaire like Nice, Monaco, Saint-tienne or PSG? Clubs like Montpellier, Nantes, Rennes and Lens will be in big trouble because you can lose 25m for one season but not over four years."
According to L'Equipe, they aren't the only teams at risk, with a further four potentially feelings the effects as well, such as Auxerre, Brest, Le Havre and Angers. It's a far cry from the situation that the president of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, Vincent Labrune promised.
Vincent Labrune Promised 1B Revenue
That's not worked out
When he was appointed the president of Ligue de Football Professionnel, the governing body that oversees the top two divisions of French football, Labrune made some bold claims. First, he pledged to ensure the country was making around €1B in television revenue every single year. Since his appointment in 2020, and his statement about the potential revenue he saw French football making, things have gone south.
Amazon recently revealed they wouldn't be renewing their deal that saw the company pay €250m a year to broadcast French football, while Mediapro, another broadcast company, pulled out of their €800m deal to show the leagues. As things stand, they are struggling to find new partners, but will need to do so soon if they don't want anyone else to follow Bordeaux's trajectory.
2024-07-26T22:03:25Z dg43tfdfdgfd