French football’s governance overhaul began behind closed doors at the FFF headquarters on Thursday, with the absence of two influential club figures immediately exposing the fault lines running through the professional game.
The meeting launched work on a reform that would reshape the Ligue de Football Professionnel into a company owned by clubs. It also brought together the political working group, the most sensitive of the three bodies tasked with defining the future structure of French football.
Paris FC president Pierre Ferracci and Stade Rennais board chairman Nicolas de Tavernost were not present for the opening discussions. Their absence caused considerable frustration among the powerful shareholders behind their respective clubs: the Arnault family in Paris and the Pinault family in Rennes.
The issue matters because the political group will help determine the balance of power in the new model, at a moment when professional clubs are divided over the direction taken by LFP president Vincent Labrune.
Other members of the group include Lyon representative Michael Gerlinger and Le Havre president Jean-Michel Roussier, both regarded as being relatively distant from Labrune’s camp.
Possible places for Ferracci and De Tavernost
During Thursday’s exchanges, Labrune indicated that Ferracci, De Tavernost, or both could still be brought into the political working group. That prospect eased some of the immediate tension surrounding the first meeting.
The FFF and LFP now have six months to reach an agreement on the reform and the future governance model. If no deal is reached within that timeframe, the law allows the French Football Federation to take control of the decision-making process.
