Laurent Nicollin has a busy agenda during this period, but the Montpellier president took the time to explain how the TV rights crisis in France is affecting his club. While this Thursday, Mediapro, unable to honor its contract for the broadcasting of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, finds itself before the commercial court of Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) to confirm its conciliation with the League of professional football (LFP), Laurent Nicollin fears very complicated weeks.
What does the daily life of a Ligue 1 club president like you look like in this period of double crisis, Covid-19 and Mediapro?
LAURENT NICOLLIN. We ask ourselves questions, we try to find solutions even if we unfortunately do not have all the answers yet. We try to anticipate in order to be able to put concrete things in place in January or February.
Is the withdrawal of Mediapro akin to a coup de grace?
This is something that we did not expect but which actually adds to the complicated period in terms of transfers, the lack of public in the stadium, sponsorship problems with boxes and VIPs … home game, we lose around 500,000 euros! Even though I was one of the few to say that it was not the 2019-2020 season that was going to be the most dramatic, but 2020-2021, I had not considered the Mediapro episode. We said to ourselves that there was at least going to be the financial arrival of the new TV rights and that it would be a question of keeping our backs to limit damage …
So are you in danger today?
Everyone is in danger! Afterwards, I am perhaps less so than some and perhaps more so than others. I do not know. But, today, any professional club in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 is in danger because it no longer has financial income, unless it has a treasury of several million euros, which is not possible.
Why ?
Because you pay taxes at the end of each fiscal year, so you donate some of it, start from scratch or attack again. In addition, we did not sell players in the offseason. So we are in difficulty. Afterwards, we took out a PGE (loan guaranteed by the State) at the first confinement of half of what was possible. There we asked the bank to have the complement. Here. December goes by, January goes by, February should be fine more or less… After that, it should be complicated!
Newsletter PSG express
Our information on the capital club
What are you doing to anticipate this period?
We are considering other solutions external to the Nicollin group to meet the needs in case, or even considering other more drastic things. These are topics that I would see with my CSE (social and economic committee), my staff and my players a little later. But first of all, we must already know if the court actually validates the Mediapro-LFP agreement (Editor’s note: the Nanterre court takes it up this Thursday and should render its decision within a few days). And afterwards, if someone takes over the rights, who will it be and for how much? We will already see what we have and what we don’t have. We will trigger certain elements based on that.
Are the next installments really what you are expecting?
There are already some between BeIN Sports (Editor’s note: who had ceded two matches to Canal +) and Free. But afterwards, yes, it is the sinews of war. If tomorrow there is no buyer and no money coming in, it will be very, very heavy. There we will count the dead. I’m lucky to have eleven years in Ligue 1 behind me so I have equity – I’m the third or fourth club in equity – but unfortunately, they will disappear in a snap. It’s been years and years of serene management which will fade away suddenly because overnight we have nothing left … After that, I don’t want to make people cry in the cottages either because there is has people who are in more difficulty and also suffer from the virus every day, but it is a situation which is very complicated.
The days to come will therefore be crucial …
The court must already validate the Mediapro-LFP agreement. For the moment we are only speculating. You have to go step by step. Because it was still something that was not won. Two weeks, three weeks ago, when I was discussing it with Vincent Labrune (Editor’s note: the president of the League), it seemed light years away from an agreement with Mediapro. He managed to do it, so I give him a big thumbs up. Now, I hope that the League will succeed in finding a broadcaster that will limit the damage. But, despite everything, it will be dramatic for French football, yes …
Until what point ?
Some clubs can go bankrupt. And, anyway, there is going to be a leak of the players. It will automatically weaken our championship which, for some, was not already one of the best. Afterwards, it can also allow certain clubs to start on new bases and to lower a payroll which sometimes goes a little in all directions. Me too, at my level perhaps even if I have the 12th budget of L1 and therefore do not feel concerned by certain salary slippages. But we will have to think again about an operation, a budget and perhaps have a less competitive team to have lower salaries.
This crisis of television rights falls badly for French football in this period of international health crisis, right?
In life, it is better to have all the misfortunes of the world in a short time so that we will be ready. And maybe in three or four years, thanks to that, the French clubs will have won a Champions League or a Europa League, France will be European and world champions. I am of a positive nature. You have to use the trials of life. We learn through difficulty. The key is to get up. But I know it will be complicated for some clubs.
Are you angry with the choice of Mediapro?
To do what ? What will this change? There is more to the misunderstanding. Afterwards, I’m not too stupid either: I analyzed things, I know the ins and outs and where the shoe pinches in the history of Mediapro, but hey I’ll keep it to myself. If we manage to recover our rights from the court, that will already be very good. And then we’ll see what the League can do. I hear people say: “We knew it, we said we shouldn’t do it!” “Yes, yes … They are the same ones who said:” It’s fabulous what you have done, you are going to donate a lot of money to the amateur world … “And, there, as if by chance, we became incompetent. In life, there are things that are done. They are beautiful on paper, they work well at first, like love stories, and then it falls. So the witch hunt is useless. It’s like that. It’s life.
