Vincent Labrune, President of the French Professional Football League, spoke at length to L’Equipe in an interview published this Friday morning. This was an opportunity to return to the excerpt from a meeting between the presidents of Ligue 1 and the LFP leaked last week, in which we saw great tension last summer over the broadcasting of the championship. He also responds to the submission to Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of Paris Saint-Germain, of which he has been accused.
Labrune “we thank people for their efforts rather than insulting them.”
“When I take the floor and thank beIN, it’s quite simply because we’ve gone from a situation where we had 400 million euros a year to another where we’re up to 500 million. When you’re given money, even if it’s not what I personally expected, you thank people for their effort rather than insult them.
Nasser al-Khelaïfi is taken to task by two club presidents (John Textor of OL and Joseph Oughourlian of Lens). He defends his position. He really feels that Qatar is helping. Which is true, because beIN gives €100 million for L1, €40 million for L2 and €70 million for internationals. (…) The 210 million from beIN saves the day.
Labrune “I would remind you that Nasser al-Khelaïfi did not support me when I was a candidate.”
After that, the reproaches levelled at me about my links with Nasser and Qatar are absolutely incomprehensible. What are they talking about? They’re talking about slander and fantasies.
Let me remind you that Nasser al-Khelaïfi did not support me when I was a candidate for the presidency of the League, in 2020, and that it was I who terminated, in 2023, beIN’s marketing contract for the international TV rights they had held for almost 10 years. That’s a fact. And another fact is that Qatar, like it or not, has been a major investor in French soccer for 14 years.
Labrune “Of course we tried to sell all the matches to DAZN.”
But why didn’t you want to sell all the matches to DAZN ?
You have to stop talking nonsense, because this has become a national sport. Of course, we tried to sell all the matches to DAZN, because it was our priority to have all the matches with the same broadcaster. As it turned out, DAZN couldn’t go beyond 400 million euros for 8 matches.
As we often stress, it’s important to get all sides of a story before passing judgment (which isn’t always even necessary, especially without really knowing the subject or being involved). While many claim that the LFP has acted in a haphazard manner and is at Nasser Al-Khelaïfi’s beck and call, there is another version here.
This is not to say that Vincent Labrune is right on all counts, or that he is not responsible for failures. However, his position must be taken into account, and there are arguments that make sense.
The biggest problem, in general as in soccer, is to see many people judged when in fact they know little or nothing about the situation. Opinions are formed on the basis of “hearsay” transformed into almost certain realities. We need to take a step back and let the players concerned take action, without always pretending we’d do better.
Of course, the LFP and club presidents must find solutions to restore stability and serenity to Ligue 1. This would seem to require, first and foremost, a healthy and open dialogue, rather than the use of jibes at meetings or in the media.
