French pro football: seven Ligue 1 presidents call on public authorities to fast-track governance reform

"We call on public authorities to accelerate the urgently needed reform of French professional football governance," wrote seven presidents of Ligue 1 clubs in an opinion piece published in several French regional dailies on 11/03/2026.

Guillaume Cerutti (Stade Rennais FC), Pierre Ferracci (Paris FC), Michele Kang (Olympique Lyonnais), Frank McCourt (Olympique de Marseille), Joseph Oughourlian (RC Lens), Jean-Michel Roussier (Le Havre AC) and Bernard Serin (FC Metz) are speaking out in response to the "economic decline of French professional football," a consequence of the "collapse in broadcasting rights in recent years" which they say justifies their "joint approach" in order to "prevent the risk of downgrading" compared to the Premier League, LALIGA, the Bundesliga and Serie A in particular.

"A draft law proposed by Senators Laurent Lafon and Michel Savin, adopted almost unanimously by the Senate last year (on 10/06/2025), paved the way. To replace the current national league (LFP), whose status as a simple association has become unsuitable, it would allow for the creation of a…