PARIS: French football intends to have its own version of the Premier League, with a club-owned entity replacing the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) as part of plans announced by French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo on Monday.

Under the proposal, French clubs and private equity firm CVC Capital Partners would become shareholders in a newly-created company responsible for managing and marketing professional competitions, with the FFF also holding a stake.

“This would be a French version of the Premier League a club-owned company with paid executives running the league,” Diallo told a press conference.

The plan stems from the work of three task forces launched in early March as French football faces mounting challenges.

“This is an innovative and disruptive project compared to the current organization of professional football,” Diallo said.

“It aims to lay the foundation for a rebound of our professional clubs within a more efficient and transparent framework, with a renewed role for the Federation.”

Diallo emphasised the need to simplify the current structure, which includes the FFF, the LFP, and its commercial arm, LFP Media.

“With the creation of LFP Media, the LFP has become almost an empty shell,” he said. “This proposal would see the LFP disappear as its functions are absorbed by the new company.”

The new structure would be responsible for organising and promoting the domestic leagues, while the FFF would retain a key oversight role, including veto power over competition format changes.

“This project will require legislative changes,” Diallo added.

A bill addressing the governance of professional sports in France is set to be reviewed by the Senate on June 10.

CVC invested 1.5 billion euros ($1.67 billion) in LFP Media in 2022 in exchange for a share of media revenues, and is expected to play a significant role in the new governance model.

The proposal, if enacted, would mark a major shift in how French football is managed and is seen as a response to years of financial instability and competitive imbalance within the league system.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2025