This is one of the highlighted chapters of the report of the senatorial mission on the intervention of investment funds in French football, made public on Wednesday, October 30. this denounces “Unsatisfactory management of conflicts of interest” AND “the harmful effects [de ceux-ci] in the management of the Professional Football League ».
To combat this phenomenon, rapporteur Michel Savin (Les Républicains, Isère) proposes imposing “an obligation to declare conflicts of interest and an obligation to defer to decisions involving such conflicts” to administrators of professional sports leagues. Above all, he recommends“introduces an incompatibility between the role of member of the board of directors of a professional league or its commercial company and the holding of interests or the exercise of functions within an audiovisual broadcasting company”.
This recommendation should not go unnoticed because it points directly to Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, who “participated in the assignment of rights” Ligue 1 TV Director with multiple functions, the Qatari is also president of Paris Saint-Germain, of the BeIN Media group, whose French subsidiary owns the broadcasting rights of Ligue 1 (one match per day) and Ligue 2 ( all matches). Influential member of the board of directors of the Professional Football League (LFP) and sponsor of the European Club Association. At the end of its hearings, often behind closed doors, the senatorial mission considers that “the presence of the president of PSG (…) It is a problem in exercise [la filiale commerciale] “LFP Media of its activity and for the transparency and efficiency of the LFP’s decision-making process”.
The senators thus find “surprising to say the least” the presence of “NAK” during the board of directors that decided, on July 14, to enter into exclusive negotiations with DAZN and BeIN Sports France. “The paper [qu’il a] played raises questions in the context of the acceptance of an offer from BeIN Sports, hardly compatible with that of DAZN, the management of the resulting conflict with BeIN, the non-payment of matches by this broadcaster or even the modification of the broadcast schedule Ligue 2, which is no longer what was foreseen in the call for tender »writes Savin, who emphasizes that “Nasser Al-Khelaïfi did not respond to the hearing request sent to him”. Contacted by the worldAl-Khelaïfi’s entourage has not wanted to react officially, but assures that the leader will respect the changes introduced, although he is surprised that the Senate focuses more on the Qatari leader than on the situation of French football.
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