Paris St Germain lost more than €375m in the most recent Ligue 1 season, as France’s top football divisions reported a deficit of more than €600m for the second year in a row.
Figures released by the National Management Control Department (DNCG), which monitors French clubs’ financial affairs, show a loss of €601m among Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 teams during the 2021-22 season. This was a decrease of 7% compared to the €645m loss in 2020-21.
PSG generated gate receipts of €57.2m within total operating income of €669.6m, up 18% year-on-year. This figure was shadowed by total operating expenses of €1.1bn, leading to a net loss of €368.7m compared to €224.3m in 2020-21. The widening of year-on-year losses came despite the return of fans throughout 2021-22 following the impact of Covid restrictions during the previous season. PSG made just €961,000 from ticket sales in 2021-22.
Olympique Marseille recorded a deficit of €31m, with Bordeaux (-€53m), Lorient (-€2.8m), Metz (-€12m), Monaco (-€187m), Nice (-€59m), Rennes (-€12m), Saint Etienne (-6.8 M€) and Troyes (-€31m) also reporting a loss. All were impacted by the loss of the lucrative MediaPro TV deal during 2020-21, which was worth €3.25bn over four seasons.
Total debt amongst French league teams has almost doubled from €522m in the 2018-19 season to €981m for last season.
“This is obviously not good news,” said DNCG president Jean-Marc Mickeler. “Let’s be clear: without the combined efforts of shareholders, public authorities and the League, French football would have gone bankrupt. This billion is the absolute ceiling. Today, a recovery momentum has begun, which requires an increase in the stable income base.”
Mickeler spoke positively of the fact that around half of the Ligue 1 teams posted a profit during the year.
He said: “These clubs have embarked on a virtuous process to control their cost base, develop their revenues excluding audio-visual rights and reduce their dependence on the sale of players. They demonstrate that they can obtain balanced results with sports performances in line with the investments made.”
Parc des Princes in Paris, France
