Didier Quillot, the former executive director general of the Professional Football League (LFP), who had negotiated the television rights contract with Mediapro, broken on Friday, announced on Saturday in the Team that he intends to return the bonus of 500.0000 euros which had then been paid to him.

"Concerning me, this contract is not coming to an end, I consider it normal to take my part in solidarity with French football and I will therefore return to the LFP the bonus that I received on this occasion", ie 500,000 euros, Didier Quillot told the sports daily

L'Equipe on

Saturday

.

The former executive director general of the Professional Football League (LFP) had negotiated the television rights contract with Mediapro, which was broken on Friday.

"Fiasco"

The leader, who had been appointed in March 2016, left his post when businessman Vincent Labrune assumed the presidency of the LFP in September.

Welcomed in 2018 with drums and trumpets, the monumental offer of the Sino-Spanish group Mediapro for TV rights to Ligue 1 turned into a "fiasco" on Friday: French football will end the contract with its main broadcaster, opening an era economic uncertainty for clubs.

Mediapro's default became more and more evident with the unpaid installments, in October and then in December.

Or about 325 million euros not paid to the LFP by Mediapro, the latter citing the health crisis.

"I sincerely regret the outcome of this contract for all professional clubs in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, for football families and, of course, for all supporters," added Didier Quillot.

"I am also thinking of the employees and journalists of the channel (Téléfoot, editor's note) who have done a remarkable editorial job and of the subscribers who, like all of us, are disappointed," he adds.

1.5 million euros

According to the sports daily, the former manager received at the time of his departure from the LFP around 1.5 million euros, equivalent to double the amount of his last year of remuneration, or 750,000 euros.

"His 500,000 euros salary + 250,000 euros corresponding to the second payment of his bonus on the call for tenders", explains the

Team

, which recalls that he had received the first payment of 250,000 euros in 2019.

The League and its broadcaster have entered into an agreement with a view to the withdrawal of Mediapro "in the near future", the group led by Catalan Jaume Roures confirmed on Friday evening.

This protocol, which must be approved between December 17 and 22 by the Commercial Court of Nanterre, will allow the League to recover its TV rights, the latter committing in exchange not to sue Mediapro thereafter. .

The broadcaster will pay 100 million euros in compensation, 36 of which will be deferred to 2021.