Sport, especially soccer, has long been a political issue in France

With French president Emmanuel Macron involved once again as Kylian Mbappé gets ready to leave Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid.

Macron’s attempts to help French soccer after Mbappé

In 2022, Macron intervened in the forward’s contract negotiations with PSG, who were afraid of losing him at that time to the LaLiga giants. 

Two years later, the politician is now playing a leading role in negotiating Ligue 1′s television rights for the next five years (2024-2029), a task made all the more challenging by Mbappé’s impending departure.

On Tuesday, France captain Mbappé attended a dinner at the Elysée Palace in Paris, Macron’s official residence, along with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who was the main guest. 

The president of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), Vincent Labrune, also made a surprise appearance as he attempts to secure as good a TV deal as possible, with French soccer in something of a crisis with its star figure about to leave.

Another attendee was Yousef Al-Obaidly, the general director of the beIN Media Group, the Qatari state-owned sports and entertainment network that has been operating in France since Qatar Sports Investments became the sole owners of PSG in 2012. 

For weeks, Labrune has been strengthening ties with Al-Obaidly, while Macron has been pushing for BeIN Sports to bid for French soccer television rights.

TV rights drop could cause PSG FFP problems

Of course, Nasser Al Khelaïfi, the president of both Paris Saint Germain and the European Club Association (ECA) and the chairman of beIN Media Group, was also present at Tuesday’s dinner. 

Given his club role, the Qatari executive is especially keen for a suitable agreement to be reached, as a drop in finances would have a huge negative effect on PSG financially 

And could, according to L’Équipe, cause them serious problems when it comes to adhering to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.

L’Équipe also say Macron, who has reached an agreement with Al Thani for Qatar to commit to investing €10 billion ($10.83 billion) on French soil, is pushing for a deal to be done for €900 million ($974.5 million), just shy of the €1 billion ($1.08 billion) Labrune is looking for. 

In October, no broadcaster was willing to meet that figure, which brought negotiations to a halt.

Ligue 1′s potential losses after Mbappé departure

Sources believe Mbappé’s departure could cost Ligue 1 €140 million ($151.6 million) as well as knock 20% off their new TV deal. That, however, may not come to pass if beIN Sports decides to get involved.

Macron believes the Qatari network are the best bet for French soccer to avoid a financial crisis. At present, beIN pays €332 million ($359.5 million) for two matches per round that it subcontracts to Canal+. 

Previously a long-standing broadcaster of French soccer, Canal+ revealed several months ago that it wouldn’t be bidding for the latest rights because it’s customers were more interested in rugby than soccer.

With French soccer in a precarious position, the French state has stepped in to limit the damage in life after Kylian Mbappé, whose move to Real Madrid hasn’t yet been officially confirmed but appears to be only a of time.

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