logo
French federation looking to launch 'a la Francaise' Premier League entity

French federation looking to launch 'a la Francaise' Premier League entity

PARIS: French football intends to have its own version of the Premier League, with a club-owned entity replacing the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) as part of plans announced by French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo yesterday.
Under the proposal, French clubs and private equity firm CVC Capital Partners would become shareholders in a newly created company responsible for managing and marketing professional competitions, with the FFF also holding a stake.
"This would be a French version of the Premier League – a club-owned company with paid executives running the league," Diallo told a press conference.
The plan stems from the work of three task forces launched in early March as French football faces mounting challenges.
"This is an innovative and disruptive project compared to the current organization of professional football," Diallo said.
"It aims to lay the foundation for a rebound of our professional clubs within a more efficient and transparent framework, with a renewed role for the Federation."
Diallo emphasized the need to simplify the current structure, which includes the FFF, the LFP, and its commercial arm, LFP Media.
"With the creation of LFP Media, the LFP has become almost an empty shell," he said. "This proposal would see the LFP disappear as its functions are absorbed by the new company."
The new structure would be responsible for organising and promoting the domestic leagues, while the FFF would retain a key oversight role, including veto power over competition format changes.
"This project will require legislative changes," Diallo added.
A bill addressing the governance of professional sports in France is set to be reviewed by the Senate on June 10.
CVC invested 1.5 billion euros ($1.67 billion) in LFP Media in 2022 in exchange for a share of media revenues, and is expected to play a significant role in the new governance model.
The proposal, if enacted, would mark a major shift in how French football is managed and is seen as a response to years of financial instability and competitive imbalance within the league system.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man City sign Cherki in time for Club World Cup
Man City sign Cherki in time for Club World Cup

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Man City sign Cherki in time for Club World Cup

Manchester City completed the signing of French international Rayan Cherki from Lyon on Tuesday, in time to beat the deadline to register new players for the start of the Club World Cup. Cherki, 21, joins a new-look City, seeking to bounce back after a dismal trophyless season for Pep Guardiola's men, for a fee of 36.5 million euros ($41 million, £30.3 million) plus an extra six million euros in add-ons. 'This is a dream for me,' Cherki said in a City statement. 'To be joining a club like Manchester City and have the opportunity to make the next step in my career here is something very, very special. 'I have worked so hard for this all my life. I love this sport, and I can't wait to develop further here in Manchester with Pep and his backroom staff. 'Everyone knows how good City are - they have been so successful for many years now. The responsibility to help the team continue winning is something I want to embrace.' Cherki joins Rayan Ait-Nouri, who joined City from Wolves on Monday, as new signings for the Club World Cup, while a deal for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders is expected to be completed before Tuesday's deadline. City will face Moroccan side Wydad AC and Emirati club Al Ain before a clash of European heavyweights with Juventus in the group stage, which kicks off on June 14. They also spent more than £172 million in January on Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez. A product of the Lyon youth academy, Cherki made his debut at 16 and became the club's youngest ever scorer in 2020. In total he scored 29 goals in 185 appearances for his boyhood club, including two in two games against City's rivals Manchester United in a remarkable Europa League quarter-final this season, won 7-6 on aggregate by the Red Devils. Cherki made his senior international debut last week, scoring and assisting in France's 5-4 Nations League semi-final defeat to Spain. 'There's no doubt that he's now in the best place possible to develop further under Pep's guidance and I really believe he can become a world-class player with our support and direction,' said City director of football Hugo Viana. kca/nf

Blow one's cover
Blow one's cover

The Star

time9 hours ago

  • The Star

Blow one's cover

ON the outskirts of Paris, 44-year-old French Muslim weightlifter Sylvie Eberena concentrates hard and pushes 80kg of bar and weights clean over her veiled head. The single mother made her four children proud when she became the French national champion in her amateur category last year, after discovering the sport aged 40. But now the Muslim convert fears she will no longer be able to compete as the French government is pushing for a new law to ban the headscarf in domestic sports competitions. 'It feels like they're trying to limit our freedoms each time a little more,' said Eberena, a passionate athlete who trains five days a week. 'It's frustrating because all we want is to do sport.' Under France's secular system, civil servants, teachers, pupils and athletes representing France abroad cannot wear obvious religious symbols, such as a Christian cross, a Jewish kippah, a Sikh turban or a Muslim headscarf, also known as a hijab. Until now, individual national sports federations could decide whether to allow the hijab in domestic competitions. But the new legislation aims to forbid the head covering in all professional and amateur competitions countrywide. Backers say that would unify confusing regulation, boost secularism and fight extremism. Critics argue it would be just the latest rule discriminating against visibly Muslim women. The bill passed in the Senate in February and is soon to go to a vote in the lower house of the French parliament. Some proponents want to stop what they call 'Islamist encroachment' in a country that has been rocked by deadly jihadist attacks in recent years. But critics point to a 2022 interior ministry report finding that data 'failed to show a structural or even significant phenomenon of radicalisation' in sport. The French football federation are among those that have already banned the headscarf. — AFP French Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner, a star of the 2024 Paris Games, said France was 'wasting its time' with such debates and should think about 'equality instead of attacking a single and same religion'. Right-wing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau responded that he 'radically disagreed', describing the headscarf as 'a symbol of submission'. Eberena, who converted aged 19, said her head attire – allowed by the weightlifting federation – had never been an issue among fellow weightlifters. She said the sport has even allowed her to make friends from completely different backgrounds. 'Sport brings us together: it forces us to get to know each other, to move beyond our prejudices,' she said. France's football and basketball federations are among those that have banned religious symbols, including the headscarf. The country's highest administrative court in 2023 upheld the rule in football, arguing the federation was allowed to impose a 'neutrality requirement'. United Nations experts last year called the rules in both sports 'disproportionate and discriminatory'. It is difficult to estimate how many women might be prevented from competing if such legislation passes. But AFP spoke to several women whose lives had already been affected by similar rules. Samia Bouljedri, a French 21-year-old of Algerian origin, said she had been playing football for her club in the village of Moutiers for four years when she decided to cover her hair at the end of high school. She continued playing with her team, but after her club was fined several weekends in a row for allowing her on the field, they asked her to take off her hijab or quit. 'That they ended my happiness, just like that, over a scarf made me really sad,' she said. France's brand of secularism stems from a 1905 law protecting 'freedom of conscience', separating church and state, and ensuring the state's neutrality. The country's constitution states that France is a secular republic. French Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner said France was 'wasting its time' with headscarf issues and should think about 'equality instead of attacking a single and same religion'. Rim-Sarah Alouane, a researcher at University Toulouse Capitole, said the 1905 law, intended 'to protect the state against potential abuses from religion', had been 'weaponised' against Muslims in recent years. French secularism 'has been transformed into a tool in its modern interpretation to control the visibility of religion within public space, especially, and mostly, targeting Muslims,' she said. Sports Minister Marie Barsacq last month warned against 'conflating' the wearing of a headscarf with radicalisation in sport. But Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said that if the government did not 'defend secularism', it would empower the far right. In the Oise region north of Paris, Audrey Devaux, 24, said she stopped competing in basketball games after she converted to Islam a few years ago. Instead, she continued training with her former teammates and began coaching one of the club's adult teams, she said. But when she goes to weekend games, she is not allowed onto the courtside bench with a headscarf – so she is forced to yell out instructions from the bleachers. 'At school I learnt that secularism was living together, accepting everyone and letting everybody practice their religion,' Devaux said. 'It seems to me they're slightly changing the definition.' — AFP

Tudor to remain as Juventus coach, says new GM Comolli
Tudor to remain as Juventus coach, says new GM Comolli

The Sun

time11 hours ago

  • The Sun

Tudor to remain as Juventus coach, says new GM Comolli

IGOR Tudor will remain in charge of Juventus next season after Damien Comolli, the club's new general manager, said on Tuesday that they had faith in the Croatian coach who was handed the reins less than three months ago. Tudor arrived in March after Juve sacked Thiago Motta, with the club having been knocked out of all the cup competitions and sitting outside the top four in Serie A. Juve lost only one more league game and finished fourth to qualify for the Champions League, but the 47-year-old warned his future must be decided before their Club World Cup campaign kicks off next week. 'I want to confirm that Tudor will be our coach for next season. I have already made this clear to him and we are working together,' Comolli told reporters. 'We are a great club and there is a lot of speculation, but I want to reiterate that Tudor will remain our coach.' Comolli, previously with French club Toulouse, is no stranger to Tudor's work. 'When he was at (Olympique) Marseille he beat us twice. We even laughed about it,' Comolli added. 'The intensity, the physical and mental stamina that his Marseille had, impressed me. He did an exceptional job at Marseille.' Comolli said he plans to hire a sporting director for transfers and a technical director to establish a clear structure at the club who have not won the Scudetto since the 2019-20 season when they lifted the trophy for the ninth year in a row. He also confirmed Randal Kolo Muani, who is on loan from Paris St Germain, would play in the Club World Cup even though his contract ends this month. 'We have not reached an agreement for next season, but I am optimistic that we can reach one, because PSG has not closed the door and Kolo Muani wants to stay with us,' Comolli said. Comolli also said he wants to speak to Dusan Vlahovic with the Serbian striker reportedly unsettled at Juve. Vlahovic was Juve's top scorer in each of the last three seasons. 'I want to understand what he wants to do. He is a top player and something this season didn't work,' he said. 'He is a top player and we also have to understand his intentions from a contractual point of view. When I understand all these things, I will be able to decide'.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store