Why no one wants to broadcast France’s Ligue 1

IF A FOOTBALL match is played but no fans watch it, either in the stands or on television, did it really happen? The quandary might once have amused Albert Camus, a fine goalkeeper who dabbled in philosophising. It is also existential, in another way, for French football clubs. First, covid-19 has deprived them of live supporters. Then the top league’s broadcasting partner skipped town without paying. Teams that once feared relegation now worry about bankruptcy.This year France’s Ligue 1 had hoped to kick off its journey to the European elite. Though the national team won the most recent World Cup, the domestic championship in which many of its stars compete is, financially speaking, outplayed by richer leagues in England, Germany, Italy and Spain. A whopper broadcasting deal starting this season, worth over €1bn ($1.2bn) a year, up by 60% on the previous arrangement, would help it level the playing field.