Paris (AFP)

Its competitions are stopped, its Euro is shifted to make way for men and women's football "disappears from the news": the coronavirus pandemic has weakened the vulnerable ecosystem of the discipline, whose only hope remains the loyalty of historic partners.

Women's football "lacks recognition and exposure it deserves in general and there, by force of circumstances, it disappears from the news", recognizes Olivier Blanc, head of the women's section of OL, quadruple reigning European champion.

"Boys, why are we talking about it? Because it's the date of recovery that interests everyone. And we also know that it is quite heavy loads for clubs," says AFP Noël Le Graët. , the president of the French Football Federation.

No need for a global health crisis to see the abyss that separates the two worlds, both media and financially. But the current pandemic is a good revealer, while the Mondial-2019 in France seemed to have created momentum.

UEFA therefore unscrupulously pushed back the ladies' Euro-2021 to make way for the men's Euro-2020, reprogrammed in the summer of 2021, without taking into account the opinions of the players. "I'm too old to postpone it to 2022," said 33-year-old Welsh international Jessica Fishlock on Twitter.

- "Not set aside" -

On the club side, the stopping of ladies' competitions occurred at a crucial period for the French locomotives Lyon and Paris. The leader of the French Championship and his runner-up would face off in a decisive shock for the title, before playing in a semi-final of the Coupe de France and a quarter-final first leg of the Champions League.

The recovery is therefore eagerly awaited in these two clubs, and perhaps a little more elsewhere: the other D1 teams, less well off financially, fear more than them a long-term interruption.

On the side of Fleury, current seventh in the first division, the players are all on partial unemployment, with their gross earnings maintained at 70%.

"When you halve Mbappé's salary, he always drives a Ferrari. When you do it for the N2 player (4th male division, editor's note) or for the player, it hurts a lot more," comments the club president. from Essonne, Pascal Bovis.

If the unemployment benefit paid by the State will be reimbursed, "the average repayment period currently (is) one year", learned the manager, which will oblige him to "request a bridging loan".

Another concern for Pascal Bovis: for his young players with federal contracts (paid by the FFF), their lease ends "on June 30, so it is necessary to finish the Championship at that time".

The Federation assures for its part that women's football, for which it is responsible, will remain a priority.

"Girls are treated like boys, especially from a financial point of view. If there are advances to be made, we will do it. The clubs will be paid," said President Le Graët. "Let there be difficulties in the months to come, I grant you." But, he adds, "we haven't put the girls aside, on the contrary".

- "Loyal sponsors" but affected -

The economics of women's soccer will be hard hit, whatever happens. The fear that clubs and sponsors will reduce the airfoil next season is real, even if the actors refuse to dramatize.

Clubs with a professional section for ladies and gentlemen "will automatically cut women's football budget, that's for sure because currently the D1 women is not profitable", anticipates the president of Fleury.

In Lyon, this will surely not be the case. Especially since the historic partners of the most successful women's team in Europe will not leave the ship.

"We have loyal sponsors on long-term contracts", nuances M. Blanc for OL.

At Fleury, Mr. Bovis also knows that the sponsors, with whom he spoke, "will stay". But he adds a nuance of size: "All will give, but they will give less."

If the budget for the current season should be kept, the financial equation will be more difficult next year. "In the best scenario, it drops by 30% (compared to this season); in the worst, by 50%", according to his calculations.

© 2020 AFP