In the absence of a broadcaster in France two and a half months before the Women's World Cup, the Minister of Sports and the Olympics, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, "has engaged in discussions with Fifa" and has begun to contact "each of the French broadcasters" in order to "contribute to bringing the views closer," said Wednesday the ministry.
While the World Cup will start on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand, no TV channel has acquired the broadcasting rights in France, as in other European countries, for lack of financial agreement. At the end of April, FIFA had explained that it "had no intention of selling off this competition".
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra "has engaged in discussions with FIFA" and has begun to contact "each of the French broadcasters to help bring the views closer in the coming weeks," added the Ministry of Sports Wednesday, questioned by AFP.
She says she has "full confidence in the ability of all the players in the file in France to find, ultimately, the ways and means of a fair development of the competition and in particular the matches of the Women's France Team this summer".
"Strengthening the development of women's football"
The ministry also said that Amélie Oudéa-Castéra had "contacted several of her European counterparts to share on the situation on the sidelines of the Council of Sports Ministers of the European Union on May 15".
It also highlights its "attachment to the media exposure of women's sport to strengthen its development". In this regard, it had said last March its willingness to review the list of "events of major importance" that the law requires to be broadcast free of charge, a list of 21 events that has not changed since 2004.
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The issue of revising this list has been on the table for several years.
Already in 2019, the Ministries of Culture and Sports had launched a consultation aimed at improving the visibility of women's sport as well as parasport.
In January 2022, the Minister Delegate for Sports Roxana Maracineanu had indicated that this list would be modernized, and indicated that it would be transmitted to the European Commission which must control and validate it.
Asked about a timetable for the publication of this decree, Amélie Oudéa-Castera had evoked in March the prospect of "autumn 2023". This new list will make it possible to have "both the finals of the Rugby World Cup and football not only men but women who will be protected", "as well as the final of the Champions League and the Women's France Tour", she said at the time.
