The famous football magazine has been losing readers for years, but this drop in sales has accelerated with the coronavirus crisis.

"France Football" therefore tries to change the frequency and formula.

The first issue of this new version is due out on Saturday?

with Kylian Mbappé in one. 

It's a small revolution in the world of sports media.

The famous weekly 

France Football

, launched in 1946,

changes periodicity and will become a monthly from Saturday.

For the occasion, the magazine also changes its formula, with subjects deliberately detached from the news and a better quality paper.

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Higher-end positioning, therefore, an important parameter for advertisers.

These changes are linked to the fall in sales of the newspaper: -30% in 4 years ... 57,000 copies sold each week last year against 80,000 in 2017. And this fall has accelerated with the coronavirus epidemic.

But in reality, sales have declined since 2005. The newspaper sold 190,000 copies on Tuesday and 124,000 on Friday.

Downsizing

These changes are accompanied by a reduction in the workforce, which is divided by four.

A decision which was one of the causes of the strike carried out in January within the

L'Equipe

group

,

to which

France Football

 belongs.

Mbappé in one for the first issue

On June 12, readers will therefore discover the 84 pages of the new magazine. It will now be sold on the second Saturday of each month as a supplement to

L'Equipe

, at a total price of 4.30 euros during the summer (then 5.10 euros). The monthly, whose first cover will be devoted to an interview with Kylian Mbappé, will be divided into four sections.

The first will deal with "lukewarm" information: decryption, "story" on "foot d'en bas" (amateur football), chronicle of the comedian Julien Cazarre ... The second, more classic, will offer interviews, a new section "on the board" in which a renowned coach will give the keys to a legendary match, and an investigation. The third will take readers to iconic locations around the world of football, with travel tips. The last will be dedicated to the Golden Ball, whose identity blends with that of France Football.