TV rights ‍: FIFA abuses, the French must pay

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By: Team French Football Weekly

France still does not have the rights to the Women’s World Cup. This is not a surprise for a specialist in women’s football, who asks the public service to make an effort.

Now a little over a month from the opening of the competition, the Women’s World Cup has still not been agreed to be broadcast in several major European countries. In France as in Germany and Spain, no media has bought the rights from FIFA, which asked for 10 million euros to sell the broadcast of the competition. Problem, for interested broadcasters, it is not worth that price at all, with an admittedly prestigious World Cup, and Les Bleues directed by Hervé Renard, but which will take place in the middle of summer and in the morning, because of its held in Oceania. The offers do not exceed, in France, 3 million euros, and FIFA, Gianni Infantino in the lead, make it a matter of principle.

The FFF behind in women’s football

The fear of seeing the discussions fail is now real, knowing that the positions are still very far apart. This is not a surprise for Frédérique Jossinet, former Olympic judo champion and above all former head of the women’s sector at the FFF. For the one who held this position for 8 years, not much has been done to build on the success of the Women’s World Cup in France in 2019. Result, if the French body has not managed to develop enough women’s football, as evidenced by a national championship in decline compared to other European leagues, it is now up to the public service to pay for the broken pots. “ If FIFA exaggerates on the prices, it is still up to the public service to mobilize. I spoke to the Minister of Sports about it: at European level, there is a decree which stipulates that certain competitions must be broadcast. It is an obligation. However, women’s sport is very poorly represented and women’s football is not. It is therefore necessary to reinforce this decree by incorporating women’s football. It should have started there. This involves real political work. It is a societal issue “, delivered Frédérique Jossinet to La Provence. In the meantime, the public service has absolutely not budgeted an expenditure of 10 million euros, and does not see itself being the turkey of the farce by overpaying a competition which cannot be profitable, even if it is not in theory not the objective of the public service.

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