CANAL+ RELUCTANT TO PAY FOOTBALL RIGHTS DUE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The coronavirus crisis is hiting multiple industries including the sport field and with all the football matches suspended in almost all Europe, French pay-TV broadcaster Canal+ is refusing to pay €110m scheduled for Ligue 1 and 2 clubs, reported L'Equipe.

“There are no more football matches, so there are no more payments,” Canal+ said to AFP (via SportBusiness.com). We are strictly applying the terms of the contract and we don’t see why we would do it any other way. Canal+ is not a bank.” The report reveals that the €110 million payment is due on April 5 and Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 teams would benefit greatly from the influx of cash.

In response, the French league LFP said it delivered 28 of the 38 matches covered in their agreement. While Canal Plus had paid about 67% of the total deal amount, the balance from the delivered broadcasts still stands at about €43 million, including taxes. Canal Plus is also scheduled to settle another installment payment of €140 million on June 5.

The top two French leagues have both been suspended since March 13 and recently, officials named June 30 as the date by which they would like to complete the 2019-20 season.