On the sidelines of the presentation of the first winter recruit Islam Slimani, the president of OL Jean-Michel Aulas took the opportunity to discuss the hot topics of French football, in particular TV rights and the drop in the wages of Ligue 1 players.
News loaded. And agitated. After the official presentation of Islam Slimani, Jean-Michel Aulas was, first of all, critical of the League and Mediapro: “Of course we are trying to adapt to the situation, which is doubly difficult in France. We made the worst mistakes in the League when we stopped the championship (last season). We chose Mediapro when we should have taken additional guarantees. We find ourselves in a difficult situation. ”
The president of OL also spoke about Canal + and the French broadcaster’s offer to return its matches so that the LFP relaunches a new call for tenders. Aulas returned to his remarks about Mediapro, while drawing a parallel with the situation of the Spanish broadcaster in Italy. “The day we negotiated with Mediapro and the League, I had an unfortunate formula saying that it was a blessed day for French football, but it was not directed against Canal. I can sense their frustration. Were they right? Mediapro has failed to keep its commitments. It is also true that the whole world has been shocked by the pandemic. You know, Italy accepted an offer to revalue a financier. They valued the Italian championship at a high level. We cannot say that the French championship has devalued. solutions must be found for TV rights to regain their value. I spoke with Vincent Labrune (president of the LFP) to think about solutions, I know they will arrive. We have to find the right solution so that no one loses in the change, I also have absolute confidence in beIN Sports and Nasser al-Khelaïfi. ”
Meeting with the UNFP around wage cuts
Jean-Michel Aulas then returned to the message of the union of professional players in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, which calls on the players to make a financial effort on their salaries: “We did not discuss with the players, I have animated yesterday the meeting with the UNFP to develop reflections. It is not the object to talk about it here, I will talk about it with “Juni” (Juninho, sports director of OL) and the UNFP. We cannot ask everyone to make significant renewed efforts. We have ambition and want to have a perfect season. ” All of these themes have not finished talking while discussions continue between the leaders of French clubs and French football authorities.
