On the sidelines of the press conference on Tuesday, where he revealed the underside of the partnership agreement between his group Mediapro and TF1 for the creation of "Telefoot", the channel that will broadcast a large part of Ligue 1 the season next, Jaume Roures discussed the news of the current season. This of course revolves around the stoppage of the championship, which took place at the end of April.
While the debate continues in France on the advisability of having put a definitive end to the current season, contrary to what is taking place in Germany in particular, Jaume Roures explained why, like Jean-Michel Aulas , the president of Olympique Lyonnais who campaigned for several weeks for a resumption of Ligue 1, the French decision is not good.
"I had a meeting with the League and some presidents during which we expressed our desire that the season ended," he said. Otherwise, it meant that French football would lose around 300 million euros. However, if Ligue 1 loses 300 million euros, that means that transfers for the 2020-2021 season could affect the quality of the competition. "
"There must be unity and strong leadership"
Mediapro, which is preparing to spend 800 million euros per year to broadcast 80% of Ligue 1, therefore takes a dim view of the possible drop in quality of the championship. “For the first time, there was even a strategic agreement at UEFA to finish the championships and the Champions League. It was very important. And, for us, to break this alliance was a strategic error. The League and the government made this decision. But if we are able to organize elections on June 28 ( Editor's note: the second round of municipal elections) , I think we can play football behind closed doors, right? "
And Jaume Roures to launch: “I am at the side of Aulas in his fight because, from my point of view, he is right. Basically, he is right. The lack of unity that appeared in the upper echelons of French football during the coronavirus crisis worries the head of Mediapro.
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"I'm worried yes," he said. It is our line to go together as has been applied elsewhere with very good results. You have not seen several Spanish or English or even German presidents, said contradictory things. In these countries, they have restarted or they will do so. This unity is very important. "
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The Spanish group could therefore make its voice heard soon. "There must be unity and strong leadership," says Jaume Roures. It was not possible, so this is a problem that we have to solve in terms of our relationships for the next seasons. If there is an impact on the quality of the competition next season, we will not be happy. "
