OM : McCourt and Oughourlian step up for a fairer Ligue 1

McCourt and Oughourlian, a common fight

It’s not every day that Marseille and Lens speak with one voice. Frank McCourt and Joseph Oughourlian chose to do so, first in Le Figaro, then live on After Foot. Their alarm call is clear: if governance doesn’t change, Ligue 1 is heading straight for the wall. For once, a “big” club like OM is choosing to defend the collective interest rather than just its own European ambitions.

A model that strangles clubs

The Lens owner did not mince his words: “in domestic rights, Lens today earns half of what it did in Ligue 2 ten years ago.” The gap is staggering, and for a club where a third of the budget depends on these revenues, survival is at stake. The result: selling its best players year after year, just to stay afloat. And this reality is not limited to Lens — it reflects a Ligue 1 where too many clubs are condemned to austerity.

Ligue 1+, a fragile hope

In this bleak landscape, Oughourlian still sees one lifeline: the Ligue 1+ channel. The first months have shown the product can appeal, but the battle is fierce: BeIN and Canal+ are accused of trying to sink the project. “We need to give Ligue 1+ two full seasons to settle,” insists the Lens president, who targets 2 to 2.5 million subscribers at around €19 a month. That would generate €300–350 million for the clubs. Still far from the €1 billion promised only a few years ago, but a credible foundation for rebuilding — if patience prevails.

McCourt vs. Nasser: two irreconcilable visions

Behind the revenue question lies a clash of models. McCourt champions a Ligue 1 inspired by American leagues: redistributive, equitable, collective. On the other side, Nasser al-Khelaïfi embodies an elitist vision, centered on PSG and a potential Super League. “Paris has no real interest in Ligue 1 anymore,” Oughourlian bluntly stated. This double role — PSG president and BeIN boss — undermines, in their view, the credibility of the current governance.

Governance: a system out of breath

Vincent Labrune remains in the crosshairs, seen as the symbol of an opaque and ineffective system. But Oughourlian insists: “the responsibility is collective.” As long as club presidents keep voting to protect their own narrow interests, nothing will change. A rebalancing could come through a reform of the law, notably the Saint-Lafont proposal in the Senate. That would be a way to end a system that has been locked for far too long.

A call for collective awakening

In the end, McCourt and Oughourlian set out three priorities: let Ligue 1+ grow, redesign the distribution of TV rights (including international ones), and reform governance. Their message is crystal clear: without redistribution and transparency, Ligue 1 will keep losing ground to the major European leagues.