Paris (AFP)
The employees of Téléfoot, describing themselves as the "turkeys of the farce", observed a minute of silence on the air Wednesday during the multiplex of Ligue 1, denouncing the "contempt" of their employer Mediapro, which on Tuesday restored its rights TV and condemned the channel.
"We will mark a minute of silence, only one minute for this evening, in the face of contempt and the deafening silence of the conciliator (Marc Sénéchal) who obviously has a very particular notion of conciliation, and of our employer" Mediapro, declared the presenter Thibault Le Rol just before the kick-off of the first meetings, at 19:00.
In a text read on the air, the journalist said he spoke on behalf of the editorial staff and employees of Téléfoot, a total of 400 people mobilized to ensure the coverage and production of this multiplex on the 17th day of L1.
"Four hundred people who like me feel a bit right now, this season, to be the joke turkeys, or rather the members of the Titanic Orchestra, those who keep playing until It is flowing. It is on their behalf that I am speaking this evening and that I thank them for their professionalism in this very special context, but also for their dignity, "he said.
This initiative was followed by complete silence for a minute on the channel's microphones, while five meetings began live.
Tuesday, at the end of a two-month conciliation led by Marc Sénéchal, justice approved an agreement recording the withdrawal of Mediapro from the French market and the restitution of the TV rights of L1 and L2 to the Professional Football League (LFP ), rewarded in passing a compensation of EUR 100 million.
This agreement seals the imminent end of Téléfoot, just four months after its launch in August.
The channel must nevertheless continue to provide coverage of the matches until the arrival of a new broadcaster, the interim may last until January 31, 2021.
The editorial staff of Téléfoot has around fifty journalists.
On the technical side, the unions of Mediapro France, a technical service provider in charge of the production of matches with around 100 employees, called for a strike last week before giving up after obtaining assurances from Mediapro boss Jaume Roures, in particular in term of reclassifications or severance pay.
© 2020 AFP