"The loan to French clubs does not involve any financial risk"! The Professional Football League (LFP) is adamant. The loan of 224.5 million euros contracted by the LFP to relieve short-term treasuries of French professional clubs "poses no financial risk", defended the LFP on Friday, in response to a Mediapart survey .
As a reminder, the League has taken out a loan guaranteed by the State (PGE) in order to pay to the clubs of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 the equivalent of the television rights that the broadcasters refused to pay after the premature end of the 2019 season -2020. It will be reimbursed by drawing from the “annual billion” (EUR 1.217 billion) obtained during the 2020-2024 cycle tender.
>> READ ALSO - Toulouse FC bought by an American investment fund?
However, in an article published 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 solidity” of the future Sino-Spanish broadcaster Mediapro .
The most beautiful technical gestures of PSG in the 2019-2020 season
4-year repayment plan
"The LFP firmly denies all the untruths relating to the EMP contained in this article," she reacts in a press release. 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.
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 .
Read also
- Five questions around Ligue 2 at 22 clubs
