"There are no short-term risks to the sustainability of the clubs." Delivered Wednesday during the presentation of the annual report of the DNCG, the financial gendarme of French football, this optimistic speech by its president Jean-Marc Mickeler on the consequences of matches played behind closed doors? The question arises after the announcement of the sine die suspension of the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships.
From a handful of days played in empty stadiums until April 15 - first measures taken by the LFP the day before Emmanuel Macron's announcements - the clubs find themselves today faced with the fear of emptiness. An athletic but also financial nothingness, of indefinite duration. "There will be no more money to return, this will cause cash flow problems, explains to Le Figaro Jean-Pierre Caillot, president of the Stade de Reims. We can prepare economically to face a relegation in Ligue 2 but we never plan events like this. »More concerned about the state of health of its employees - players included - than by possible future holes in the box, the boss of the current 5th in L1 is expecting. “Clubs will undoubtedly have recourse to technical unemployment for certain services. As far as we are concerned, it is still too fresh to decide on a strategy ”.
“ The championship is suspended, not stopped. It will resume and it will end »
The executive director of the Ligue Didier QuillotThe executive director of the League, Didier Quillot, is adamant: “The championship is suspended, not stopped. It will resume and it will end. ” This statement is obvious for the leaders of French football. Unless there is a cataclysm, UEFA will announce the postponement of Euro 2020 on Tuesday, which will allow the championships to go to completion. On unusual dates - until June 30 or even beyond - but in stocked stadiums.
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"We are not going to talk about wood. It is better that there are people in the stadiums with ticketing and VIP services who contribute a lot to the business plan of the clubs (€ 201.10 million in revenue for the whole of Ligue 1 in 2018-2019 ), adds Jean-Pierre Caillot. Just look at the loss caused by the camera behind Dortmund for PSG (Editor's note, around 5 M €) to be convinced. Among the good students of L1 on the management side, unlike OM (-91 M € in 2018-2019) or Bordeaux (-26 M €), the Champagne club is ready to hold out. “We have the possibility of facing such a more complicated economic period. But the shorter it is, the better. ”
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