French lawmakers reach unanimous agreement on professional sport reform targeting football regulation

Deputies and senators reached an agreement on Wednesday, July 8, on a reform of French professional sport, according to parliamentary sources. The final adoption of the bill is expected to take place on July 21.

"This is a text awaited by all stakeholders in the professional world. It will strengthen the control of federations over leagues," said Les Républicains (LR) senator Michel Savin, co-author of the law with Laurent Lafon of the Union Centriste group, following the joint committee (CMP) meeting. The result was a "unanimous" agreement, hailed Lionel Duparay (LR), co-rapporteur in the Assembly.

Key Measures

• Federation oversight: Sports federations may withdraw from leagues their "sub-delegation of public service" — after government approval — in cases of failure or serious financial difficulties. This provision directly targets football, which has been mired in a TV rights crisis for several years.

• Commercial companies: The text allows federations to create their own commercial company to handle matters currently managed by leagues such as the Professional Football League (LFP).

• Government intervention: The government may extend a convention by authority in certain cases, but parliamentarians capped this duration at six months, renewable.

• TV rights redistribution: The distribution of TV rights between clubs will be regulated, with a maximum ratio of one to three between the best-funded and the least-funded clubs.

Salary Caps and Multi-Club Ownership

Parliamentarians capped the salaries of federation leaders. The same principle should apply to employees, but a derogation procedure was inserted in the CMP, allowing alignment with the market for key positions such as the coach of the French football team.

On the issue of multi-club ownership — where a French club also owns a club abroad — parliamentarians backtracked on an outright ban previously adopted by the Assembly. Instead, they granted powers to the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG), the financial watchdog of football. The DNCG may choose to oppose a sale by pronouncing, for example, a relegation, if it considers the sale violates the principle of sporting uncertainty, according to several parliamentary sources.

While he would have preferred to maintain the outright ban, "rebellious" deputy Eric Coquerel hailed "a step forward" to Agence France-Presse (AFP): "That means we are clearly pointing out the problem of multi-club ownership."

Club Reaction

"The adjustments made to the final text preserve the intended balance: they strengthen existing regulatory tools, clarify governance, and secure the framework in which clubs can invest in training, infrastructure, and the development of their activities, while reinforcing the guarantees expected by public authorities and citizens," hailed eight professional football clubs, including Olympique de Marseille.