THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 ON THE FRENCH PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Abstract

The world economy has been strongly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The French football league has not been spared. The economic, health and sporting consequences have been dramatic for many clubs in Ligue 1.

The objective of This thesis was to compare two business models before and after Covid-19. The choice of clubs was made in order to compare two potentially opposite business models and to find out which club was more impacted by the health crisis.

The management of a professional football club is different from that of a business but requires similar skills. The research was based exclusively on online literature and comparative data to assess certain factors. The data obtained allowed the authors to compare Paris Saint-Germain and Racing Club de Strasbourg on and their business model before and after the outbreak of Covid-19.

The impact of the health crisis was so crucial on Ligue 1 that the main broadcasters in France could not finance the TV rights. The clubs have benefited from financial assistance provided by the French govern-ment in order to preserve as many jobs as possible. To conclude, the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has forced every football club to rethink their economic model in order to organize their operations and economic model to resemble the business models of the clubs with less financial means which have been able to better face the crisis.