French FA set course to scrap Ligue 1 and create ‘French-style’ Premier League | OneFootball

It could be an unprecedented move that fundamentally alters the landscape of French professional football. The French Football Federation (FFF) and their president Philippe Diallo are preparing to scrap the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) and replace it with a new governance structure inspired by the Premier League. This is according to a report from L’Équipe.

At the heart of the reform lies the creation of a commercial company composed of clubs, each holding one vote, and directly tied to the FFF. Unlike LFP Media—which only handled revenue generation—the new structure would also take over the material organisation of competitions, assuming key responsibilities from the LFP.

Gone would be the elected presidency. Instead, a CEO, hired and fired at will by the clubs, would run the day-to-day operations, reporting to a board rather than wielding individual executive power. “We’re moving from a non-profit association model to a commercial structure,” said Diallo.In this vision, the current LFP would cease to exist entirely. “The FFF will be directly linked to the commercial entity. The Ligue, as it exists today, would disappear,” Diallo confirmed.

A French-style Premier League to replace the Ligue de Football Professionnel?

L’Équipe also report that Current LFP president Vincent Labrune, who has grown weary of the toxic climate in recent months, reportedly supports the plan—even if it means an early end to his term, which is scheduled to run until 2027. The LFP, financially weakened and now largely reliant on €8–9 million from sports betting, had become a “hollow shell,” according to Diallo.“Yes, it’s a Premier League model, because the league is run by the clubs. But it’s à la française—we’re keeping our sporting and cultural specifics,” added Diallo.The reform’s legal foundation is already in motion. Backed by the FFF’s executive committee and presented to clubs on Monday afternoon, the proposal will lean on a parliamentary bill from senators Savin and Lafon.

“If we succeed in the Senate debate on June 10, the law will move to the National Assembly in the autumn for final approval,” said Diallo, clearly confident that the stars are aligning.

“This isn’t just cosmetic,” he insisted. “It’s an innovative project that changes the structure of professional football in France—without disturbing other pro sports, because it only concerns federations like the FFF, which ceded their commercial rights to the clubs in 2004.”

GFFN | George Boxall