The whole economic model of football is on the verge of explosion

Mediapro wants to renegotiate its contract with the Professional Football League.

His boss said so in the Team this Thursday morning.

With the health crisis, the main broadcaster of the French championship wants to reduce the 814 million euros he had to pay this season.

For Virginie Phulpin, the entire economic model of football is on the verge of explosion.

Football thought it was protected by the financial windfall of TV rights.

Except, in a world of sport bloodless because of the health crisis.

We have already talked about it, even with empty stadiums or almost, football clubs could withstand the shock all season because their finances ultimately depend relatively little on the ticket office, even if it is a real shortfall. .

But the alert given by Mediapro changes everything.

If we touch television rights, then the whole system collapses.

This desire to renegotiate rights is quite logical.

It comes to the end of the chain of an economy in crisis.

The future is uncertain for the French, and their short-term priority is not necessarily to subscribe to the Téléfoot channel, so for the moment these subscriptions are struggling to take off.

If we add to that many closed bars, these are places where we watch football matches, what happens?

Advertising revenue is melting.

And Mediapro can no longer, no longer want to, pay amounts which exploded all the ceilings at the time of the attribution of the rights when everything was still going very well Madame la Marquise.

Now the League and the clubs can be afraid of the future, that's for sure.  

It calls into question the whole economic model of football. 

Obviously, since TV rights represent nearly 40% of club revenue.

We have gone so far in inflation that these rights are totally disconnected from the real economy.

Except that today, it is the real economy, the crisis, which is catching up with football.

So what do we do ?

First possibility, we continue on the same path, no matter what.

And if Mediapro ever goes bankrupt, we are not there, but it can happen, we will turn to Amazon or Facebook to sell the football rights.

They have strong backs to be sure, but they might be more interested in a European Super League than in Ligue 1 mid-table matches.

Or, second possibility, we rethink the model now, with clubs that spend according to their own funds, and not according to the expected windfall of TV rights.

This is what is called being at a crossroads.

But let's be aware of this.

Whatever happens, post-crisis football will never be the same as the one we knew.