The loss of matchday revenues at French Ligue 1 clubs between now and the end of the season would total between €20m ($21.8m) and €25m, according to the French Professional League (LFP), which today decided to suspend the French top flight because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
The LFP’s board of directors today decided unanimously to immediately suspend Ligue 1 and the second-tier Ligue 2 “until further notice”.
Ahead of that decision, the board met on Wednesday as Nathalie Boy de la Tour, the LFP president, revealed the projected shortfalls and possible financial implications of matches being played behind closed doors or fixtures being postponed.
The range of between €20m to €25m as a combined total across all Ligue 1 clubs is a projection if matches were played with no fans until the end of the 2019-20 season, reports L’Équipe.
A potential loss in media-rights income of “€20m per match day” was also mooted should domestic rights-holders Canal Plus and beIN Sports, the pay-television broadcasters, decide against honouring their remaining contract payments.
One club director told L’Équipe: “It would be a double punishment. If we had to lose these broadcast rights revenues in addition to the ticketing revenue, then it would become very complicated to deal with.”
The two pay-television broadcasters acquired Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 rights in the current cycle (2016-17 to 2019-20) in deals worth a total of €748.5m per season.
With regards to any update on the possible resumption of the domestic campaign, the LFP said that it will convene on March 17, after a meeting scheduled by Uefa.