The LFP creates a commercial company

The French Professional Football League (LFP) has created a commercial company to support the development of the entire French football ecosystem.

This news follows on from the Mediapro case, which found itself unable to pay the LFP for the audiovisual broadcasting rights acquired in 2018 for broadcasting from the 2020/21 season (see our previous newsletters). Since last March, the legislator has authorised, subject to the agreement of the delegating sports federation, the creation by professional leagues of commercial companies for the marketing and management of the exploitation rights of sports events or competitions. The organisation of betting is excluded.

Seizing this opportunity, the LFP amended its statutes and entered into exclusive negotiations in March with the investment fund, CVC Capital Partners. An agreement was signed providing that CVC Capital Partners would make an investment of €1.5 billion, representing a 13% stake in the new structure.

The completion of this operation should take effect in the next few months. However, certain obstacles remain, starting with the consultation of the LFP’s staff representative bodies and the authorisations of the competition authorities.