The LFP ensures that the loan to French clubs "involves no financial risk"

The loan of 224.5 million euros contracted by the Professional Football League (LFP) to relieve short-term treasuries of French professional clubs "poses no financial risk" for the LFP, was defended last Friday , in response to a Mediapart survey. The League has taken out a State Guaranteed Loan (PGE) to pay the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs the equivalent of the television rights that broadcasters refused to pay after the premature end of the 2019-2020 season. It will be reimbursed by drawing in the annual billion (1.217 billion EUR) obtained during the 2020-2024 cycle call for tenders. In an article published on Thursday, Mediapart reproduced an estimate showing a “colossal net deficit of 541 million euros” expected for L1 training on June 30. "We cannot even exclude that the League is itself carried away in the turmoil and could, in this hypothesis, experience difficulties in repaying the gigantic loan which it is going to take out", wrote the site of investigation, s' questioning the financial strength of the future Sino-Spanish broadcasterMediapro . "The LFP firmly denies all the untruths relating to the EMP contained in this article," she responded in a statement. “This loan does not involve any financial risk for the LFP which adopted, concomitantly with the implementation of the EMP, a repayment plan over 4 years by direct debit from the 5.3 billion euros of audiovisual income already concluded and to cash in on the 2020/2024 cycle, ”it is written.

Press release from the LFP following the Mediapart article published this Thursday, May 21, 2020 ➡ https://t.co/TGWVI5N1mYpic.twitter.com/cpfCrUljjJ

This amount "is made up of cumulative payments from 4 broadcasters and not only from Mediapro," said the League. The future hoard of TV rights, higher by 400 million euros annually compared to the previous contract, must be paid by Mediapro, beIN Sports, Canal Plus and Free. Concerning the Mediapart article, as well as another from the daily L'Equipe reproducing exchanges during the general assembly of the LFP held on Wednesday, the League claims to file "two complaints against X with the Public Prosecutor of Paris" to find out how confidential conversations and documents were leaked without permission.

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