MONEY TAPS IN FRANCE RUN DRY

France’s Ligue 1 has reported a mammoth deficit of 645 million euros for the 2020-2021 financial year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse of the transfer market. Matchday income in France’s top-flight fell to just 7.9 million euros, a 95% drop from the 169 million earned in 2019-2020. The transfer market also contracted, with income falling to 320 million from 623 million euros the previous year. However, broadcast revenue bounced back with an income of 835 million, up from 690 million euros. Saint-Étienne, Reims and Dijon were the only Ligue 1 clubs to not run at a loss.