There is of course the upcoming match, as always, but the subject of TV rights has been a major element of the press conferences of the Ligue 1 coaches. Ligue 1 is a product that has gained in value over the last few years and the invisibility of the French championship could be a concern for the future.“, Pierre Sage worried, in comments relayed by AFP.
The OL coach highlighted the spectacle offered by the championship teams, which is improving according to him. But if no one watches the matches, what’s the point? If tomorrow there is no more television broadcasting, perhaps there will be less football and that will be really worrying,” he fears.
For Pierre Sage, the price of the DAZN subscription is a problem, even though the British platform has just launched an offer for 10 euros less. An offer that Pierre Sage himself has not been able to access, despite his requests to DAZN. They don’t want to give us a discount! I feel like I’ve been ripped off,” he laughed yellowly.
“They can’t compete with Canal+”
A few hundred kilometers from Lyon, Antoine Kombouaré launched into a vibrant tribute to Canal+. The Nantes coach, who has often criticized Vincent Labrune’s management in recent times, came to the defense of the former historic broadcaster of Ligue 1, who is now angry with the LFP.
“I am from the Canal+ generation,” Kombouaré confided at a press conference, according to Ouest-France. We have lost a major partner, but Canal+ is not a broadcaster, it is family. I could never imagine Canal+ without Ligue 1 or Ligue 1 without Canal+. For me, it is heresy, even a big mistake. Not having Canal+ is a great loss for French football.
In Kombouaré’s speech, we can see how difficult it is for DAZN to make a place for itself in the French football landscape. “You can put in whatever broadcasters you want, they can’t compete with Canal+. Forty years of presence can’t be replaced like that.”
