It went a little unnoticed on Saturday evening, shortly after 11 p.m., because there were other more interesting subjects to deal with. But the LFP quickly published a press release to react to the victory of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
“PSG's victory in the Champions League is immense pride for French football”says Vincent Labrune, necessarily dithyrambic towards the club of the capital. The president of the league praises the merits of
“Coherent, structured project, combining sports excellence, economic power and international influence” carried by its ally Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
“This success goes beyond the Parisian framework and reflects on the entire Ligue 1, which gains in attractiveness, credibility and visibility on the international scene, estimates Vincent Labrune. This is a major step in the positioning of French football among the elites and this confirms that, despite the current economic challenges, our model is constantly increasing. »»
We understood this, by reading this press release, one might almost believe that French football is doing better than ever. The terrible financial crisis that threatens the future of several professional clubs is mentioned in five small words (” despite current economic challenges ”).
Upward European income, national revenues in free fall
The glass is empty for three-quarters, but Vincent Labrune sees only the positive: “This season, thanks to the performance of PSG but also of Monaco, Lyon, Brest and Lille that I also want to salute this evening, UEFA income has reached records, reaching nearly 400 million euros against 285 million last season and 220 million two years ago. »»
“70 % additional UEFA income in two years, it is the result of the overall strategy implemented for several years and which bears fruit. And we start the 2025/2026 season in the best possible conditions, with a record level of points, which positions us closer than ever to the fourth place in the UEFA index “adds the boss of French professional football, who recovers part of the Parisian merit (“The result of the global strategy”…)
What to say? That the European clubs mentioned above can indeed be delighted to raise funds thanks to their course in C1 or C3. All the others will have nothing, or almost, because they have seen their income linked to TV rights melt in a cataclysmic way. We will know in a few weeks if the Ligue 1 has more winning clubs in the Champions League than from clubs administratively demoted by the DNCG. And according to you, what criterion do we judge the work of a league president?
