PSG are set to be confirmed as Champion of France, after Ligue 1 was forced to end the season prematurely because of risks relating the coronavirus pandemic.
The league will be decided on a point-per-game basis – the Parisians are 12 points clear and will be crowned the winners, as per the Daily Mail.
But the abrupt end to the season isn’t a positive thing. Broadcasters BeIN Sport and Canal + are reportedly set to refuse Ligue 1 payment of €243m because of premature end to season.
This news was first shared by GFFN on Twitter, and it outlines what other leagues can expect if they suffer the same fate.
Breaking | BeIN Sports & Canal + to refuse to make TV rights payments to the LFP following to definitive end of the 2019/20 season, meaning the league will miss out on €243m. More follows. (L'Éq/LP)
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) April 30, 2020
The Premier League, already said to be looking at resuming the 2019/20 season as soon as possible, would be hit with the same treatment from the likes of BT Sport and Sky Sport.
The difference being the amount of money that the English top flight division would lose. Ligue 1 are set to lose around £200million, but the Premier League would be hit with losses closer to £1billion.
The figure is in fact €860million, as reported by Calcio e Finanza via Maxi Angelo on Twitter, which is over four times that of what Ligue 1 are set to lose. Take a look at the figures below:
Italian financial paper, Calcio e Finanza, reported in March how much leagues would lose from a cancelled season:
-Premier League = €860m
-La Liga = €500-600m
-Serie A = €350-450m
-Bundesliga = €300-400m
-Ligue 1 = €100-200mRemember these figures before making conclusions.
— Maxi (@MaaxiAngelo) April 28, 2020
There are two realistic options: play out the season or decide which club finishes where by either PPG or the positions at the half-way point. The latter would be a huge financial hit, so playing the remaining fixtures is the clear best option.
Providing the situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic continues to improve, and it becomes suitable to play contact sports with precautions, it’s a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ the Premier League will resume.
And just a little note: Liverpool winning the title has very little to do with any decision the suits will make – they care about financial damage control and balancing on a moral tightrope, anything else is a by-product.