After Lionel Messi’s Exit, France’s Ligue 1 Receives Massive $635,000,000 Blow

Lionel Messi was involved in a heated war of words his former club Paris Saint-Germain. However, it has been months since the Argentine World Cup winner departed the Paris club for Inter Miami. After the soccer veteran’s ‘sensitive’ matter ended with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi issuing a statement, there has been another problem that has sprung up for not just PSG but also the entire French league. In a recent turn of events, France’s top-tier league, the Ligue 1, has received a staggering $635 million blow.

It looks as though French soccer has taken another hit, as per the latest developments which majorly concern the television broadcasting of the French league. Here is the complete breakdown of the conflict between Canal+ and Ligue 1.

Ligue 1 sees the country’s top bidding broadcast channel back out, months after the departure of Lionel Messi

According to recent reports, France’s biggest pay-TV broadcaster Canal+ has rejected to participate in the bidding for the rights to broadcast Ligue 1. This is for the next cycle, between 2024-29. In what is a groundbreaking event, this is the first time Canal+ hasn’t decided to bid for Ligue 1 broadcast rights since 1984, as per Get Football News France. Before the deal expires, their current deal is worth about $635 million and a non-renewal could cause a huge loss. However, what are the other options?

According to several reports in the media, the ongoing conflict is between Canal+ and Amazon, the former broadcaster feeling that the LFP, French soccer’s governing body, is preferentially treating Amazon. The problems kicked off after the LFP sold Amazon rights to broadcast Ligue 1 for $825 million after Spanish company Mediapro failed to meet payments during COVID in what was a panic sell.

That deal gave Amazon the rights to broadcast eight matches of Ligue 1 per week at $264.47 million a year, while Canal+ could only broadcast two Ligue 1 games a week for a price of $352 million. In essence, Amazon pays less than Canal+ to broadcast eight matches per week while Canal+ pays nearly $100 million more to broadcast only two games per week. What’s the latest on the Canal+ and the Amazon saga? Let’s find out more below.

Also read: “It’s Over” – Struggling to Keep Kylian Mbappe, PSG’s Champions League ‘Obsession’ Has Ended, Says Club President

Canal+ President’s statement on preferential treatment of Amazon

An official press release that was sent to LFP president Vincent Labrune by Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada, stated that the broadcaster wouldn’t take part in the bidding for Ligue 1 broadcast rights for the next cycle. According to the report, in his letter, Saada said, the LFP’s preferential treatment of Amazon is “A financial discrimination” & “a mathematical aberration”. In his statement, Saada also stated that this: “gave the feeling to their teams that Amazon was systematically privileged.”

Further adding, “Given the lack of compensation for the damage suffered by Canal+ and the total absence of transparency regarding the process of awarding rights, it therefore clearly appears that the conditions are not currently met for the Canal+ Group to submit an offer.” This is a huge blow for the LFP and Ligue 1 who have also seen the departure of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami and Neymar to Al Hilal, which has also surely impacted Ligue 1’s popularity worldwide.

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