After weeks of tense negotiations, Canal + and the Professional Football League (LFP), have agreed. The discussions were conducted under the aegis of four Ligue 1 club presidents: Nasser Al-Khelaïfi (PSG), Jacques-Henri Eyraud (OM), Jean-Pierre Rivère (Nice) and Olivier Sadran (Toulouse), to put end to the dispute opened by the encrypted channel which in mid March decided to suspend the payment of football rights after the end of the competition at the end of the 28th day. Canal +, directed by Maxime Saada, which had to honor a deadline of 95 million euros before tax on April 5, had refused to pay.
In response, the LFP had estimated that the channel owed it at least the payment of the matches already broadcast but not yet paid, that is to say a sum of 35 million euros HT. Canal + replied that it was not in the contract and that the channel was not the football banker.
According to the agreement found today, Canal + will pay well for the L1 and L2 matches already broadcast but not yet settled.
In addition, the two parties continue to discuss the possibility of a resumption of the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 Championships in order to end the season. There are still 10 championship days left, but the LFP has not yet managed to agree on a calendar for the rest of the season or on the possibility of stopping the championship at the end of the 28th day.
The Qatari beIN Sports channel, the second broadcaster in the championship, followed in the footsteps of Canal + and also suspended the payment of football rights. The agreement reached with Canal + should quickly apply to beIN Sports, one of whose leaders is none other than Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, also president of PSG.