France: Council of State recommends annulment of the agreement between AS Monaco and the LFP

The public official of the Conseil d'Etat (Council of State), Béatrice Bourgeois-Machureau, advocated in a public hearing that the compromise reached between the LFP and AS Monaco on 24/01/2014 -- allowing the club to keep its headquarters in the Principality in exchange for a payment of €50m over two years -- be declared unlawful, on 22/06/2015.

The Council of State official considers that the modification of the League's resolution was "unlawful" because it came after a transaction (payment by AS Monaco of €50m to the league) and because it made it mandatory to base the commercial arm of the club in France when no such obligations are specified by French law.

An appeal was filed before the Council of State on 18/02/2014 by seven presidents of French professional clubs, against the agreement which they considered to be too favourable for AS Monaco.

• The findings of the public official will be followed by a formal deliberation and final decision from the French Council of State, which should be issued within two or three weeks.
  • The Council of State follows the conclusions of the…