Paris (AFP)
The clubs of the French Basketball Championship can breathe: despite the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 and the stopping of competitions, the financial gendarme of the National League (LNB) Friday underlines a situation nevertheless "solid".
According to the National Directorate of Advice and Management Control of Professional Clubs (DNCCG), "the estimated net position of the Elite remains solid at the end of the 2019/20 season, despite the occurrence of the health crisis which raised fears of scenarios more unfavorable or even catastrophic ".
This net situation is estimated at EUR 5.594 million for the 2019/20 season, compared to EUR 6.512 million for the previous year. The cumulative net loss for all 18 Elite clubs is estimated at EUR 1.236 million for the past season.
The average payroll of an Elite club should amount to 1.682 million euros in 2020/21, against 1.782 million EUR in 2019/20 (-6%), and the average budget of a premier club division decrease by 5%, going from EUR 5.509 million in 19/20 to EUR 5.245 million in 20/21.
Villeurbanne is the engine of the championship, with a budget of 11.8 million euros against 10 million last year.
The National Basketball League decided in late May to put an end to the 2019/20 season, stopped since mid-March due to the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. The LNB has not assigned a title, not going up or down.
Out of a total of 36 professional clubs (18 in Elite and 18 in ProB), 23 contracted a loan guaranteed by the State for a consolidated amount exceeding 9.5 million euros, to "preserve their cash in order to cross the current crisis and anticipate the coming months, "noted the LNB.
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