More than a month after the fiasco of the France team in South Africa, the French professional football is definitely getting worse. While professional football league (LFP) expected at worst to a deficit of 150 million euros, the National Monitoring Directorate Management (DNCG) has recently established its report on the finances of French professional clubs. And the finding is instructive: their accumulated loss stood at 180 million euros for the 2009-2010 season, including 140 million for the Ligue 1 clubs. Record. The precedent dating from the 2002-2003 season with a deficit of 167 million.

And yet, the French professional clubs we were accustomed to much better in recent years. "This deficit is due more to a sharp decline in revenue related to shipments by a sharp increase in spending that we had already seen last year," said Vincent warmShe expert sports Ineum Consulting.Today, the situation is simple, both for small than for large clubs: he must sell players first and then build his team. This is far from easy. Why?

Spanish and English clubs are more buyers

Their main "clients", English and Spanish clubs, bear the brunt of the economic crisis and could not like each year to buy the best French players. And unlike like the French clubs do not hesitate to buy great players, the calculation is done quickly. "This deficit is a matter of timing. French football is constantly lagging behind the economic cycle.The French clubs have spent much of last year through the renegotiation of TV contracts in 2006, and the establishment of the right to collective image (which exempts a portion of payroll taxes to pay athletes, can not exceed 30% of the total, Ed), whose clubs n (were really benefit in 2009, "said Vincent warmShe.

Although we are far from 800 million euros of debt the English club Chelsea in January erased by its Russian owner Roman Abramovich. But the fact that this ad is not necessarily good news when we know that UEFA is planning to launch its draft financial fair play in UEFA's two years at the initiative of … France. Thus, from the 2012-2013 season, clubs will no longer spend more than they earn.Again, the French clubs are not the worst placed in terms of expenditure, but in terms of income, they are far from being the first …

If one were to summarize the 2010 summer transfer window, we would call dull. Like any economic activity, football suffers from the crisis. Marseille and Lyon have already purchased a lot last year and Paris and Bordeaux have had a sporting season 2009-2010 more than complicated. Thus, the OM has bought Andre-Pierre Gignac and Loic Remy because they sold Mamadou Niang (at Turkish club Fenerbahce) and lent Hatem Ben Arfa (at English club Newcastle).

Aulas has made "a little fun"

What about Lyon? Until the "little pleasure" that became Jean-Michel Aulas, the Lyon president of purchasing Yoann Gourcuff for $ 22 million last Tuesday, the club Lyon had previously spent only 6 million euros with the former Rennes Jimmy Briand.Far from 82 million spent a year earlier. "Unlike the big Italian clubs, English or Spanish, French clubs can not afford a repeat of" such "transfer window several times. The DNCG requires them to control their spending. And when the crisis gets involved … "Says one expert.

Last year like this year, Lyon as Marseille have sold less and less purchased. But the fact remains the same: they have spent more than sold. The OL has purchased $ 28 million and sold for 3 million in summer 2010 transfer window (82 million against 45.5 million in the transfer window in 2009). For the OM, the losses amount to 13 million euros in the summer 2010 transfer window (about 23 million euros in the transfer window in 2009). For their part, had to sell Gourcuff Bordeaux to balance its accounts and finally Paris Saint Germain all the trouble to sell his "big bucks" to be able to buy a defender. The crisis affects everyone.Relatively speaking …

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