This is one of the major issues that has hit French football for several weeks. While heated debates over TV rights have raged since the announcement of the subscription prices set by DAZN, some fans and journalists have begun to question the management of Vincent Labrune, president of the Professional Football League (LFP) since September 2010 when he took over from Nathalie Boy de La Tour. This Tuesday, September 10, 2024, therefore marked the day of the famous elections during a large general assembly organized with the presidents of the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs. Two scenarios were then possible: a re-election of Vincent Labrune in a stormy context or an enthronement of Cyril Linette to turn the page. Two candidates for one of the highest functions in French football at stake.
No voice was raised against Vincent Labrune during his first term, and few voices have dared to do so today, proof of his weight and his proximity to certain leaders including Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of PSG and beIN Media Group. But others have nevertheless tried to alert the French football landscape. In addition to the management of TV rights, some presidents criticize the league boss for his excessive lifestyle. Between his salary (increased from 400,000 euros to 1.2 million euros per year) and the reimbursements of expenses (200,000 euros) for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the former OM manager has shocked more than one person since the revelations of The Team who had even added the existence of a personal driver and a suite at the Brach, a 5-star hotel in Paris. The agreement with CVC is also not going down well with some. The details of his remuneration presented to the Senate committee and a possible conflict of interest even prompted the courts to open an investigation with the anti-corruption association AC.
French clubs have decided!
By the end of the morning, candidate Cyril Linette had pocketed a first victory. The first process of the election concerned Ligue 2, around 11 am, which had the right to two votes from its two representative administrators. Before the vote of the Ligue 1 presidents, Cyril Linette had already won 9 votes among the Ligue 2 college against 7 for Vincent Labrune – and two abstentions. A first small victory for the candidate, even if the Ligue 1 vote still remained, before a general meeting, then a press conference planned for the end of the day to officially announce the results of the election.
A few minutes later, the presidents of Ligue 1 arrived at the league headquarters. Marc Keller, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Waldemar Kita and Baptiste Malherbe followed one another for this great special day. After a planned cocktail, the elective general assembly took place and therefore determined by electoral vote that Vincent Labrune would be re-elected to his position for the next four years.“On the proposal of the Board of Directors, the General Assembly elected Vincent LABRUNE President of the LFP in the first round (85.67%)”we can read on the tweet published on the official LFP account.
