Fans and beIN Sports have opened dialogue to resolve the conflict, with further talks planned for later

The National Supporters Association, broadcaster beIN Sports and the League met on Wednesday, in a tense context following numerous protests in the stands against the Friday evening multiplex.

The National Supporters Association (ANS) and broadcaster beIN Sports, in conflict over the programming of Ligue 2, began a dialogue during a meeting held on Wednesday 28 August with the Professional Football League (LFP). The various stakeholders agreed to continue discussions and meet again at a later date.

“There will be a new meeting where we will see if we can outline solutions or if we remain in a sclerotic situation”explained ANS lawyer Pierre Barthélémy. The 2024-25 Ligue 2 season began on August 16 in a tense climate. In agreement with beIN Sports, the LFP decided to schedule most of the matches on Friday evening instead of Saturday, which is not going down well with the supporters. United around the slogan “Football is on the weekend”, They denounce the holding of matches at times that are not conducive to attendance at the stadium.

Since the start of the season, protest banners have appeared in the stands, several matches have been interrupted by projectiles being thrown, and on Saturday morning in Lorient, dozens of hooded supporters damaged television vans that were supposed to broadcast the match against Grenoble.

“I think it was good for everyone to express themselves because no one is happy with the current situation, said Pierre Barthélémy. We are still very far from reaching a consensus solution, but in any case, this first stage of dialogue was necessary because it made no sense to communicate only by banners in stadiums or by interviews in L’Equipe.”

Contacted by AFP, BeIN Sports did not respond on Wednesday evening. The channel already broadcast the multiplex on Friday evenings between 2012 and 2020. Amazon, which then bought the rights to Ligue 2, had then set the multiplex on Saturday, a day that remained the norm until this summer.

The programming for the first five days – the others have not yet been finalized – has set six to eight matches on Fridays. BeIN Sports, which co-broadcast L2 last season with the L’Equipe channel, has acquired all TV rights for Ligue 2 for the period 2024-2029 for 40 million euros per season.