Budget proceedings, Stade de France setting, scrutiny of amateur referees through cameras... key points from the FFF Annual Meeting

The French Football Federation (FFF) Gathers for its General Assembly

Budget proceedings, Stade de France setting, scrutiny of amateur referees through cameras... key points from the FFF Annual Meeting

The FFF convened at Clairefontaine (Yvelines) on Saturday, June 14, shedding light on significant points before the 2025-2026 season. Subjects like the budget, addressing aggression in amateur football, and regulations for competition... Here's a recap of the meeting's highlights.

Setting a Record Budget of Nearly 300 Million Euros

The FFF approved an unprecedented budget of 299.1 million euros for the upcoming season during the assembly. Treasurer Véronique Lainé noted, "Close to 300 million euros is historically high for the Federation." The budget consists mainly of fresh partnership contracts with Nike until 2035 and the Crédit Agricole for the Coupe de France naming rights, according to Lainé. Compared to the 2023-2024 budget validated last December, which amounted to 283.6 million euros, this new budget marks a considerable increase.

The FFF plans to allocate 106.2 million euros to amateur football and 14 million to women's football development. According to financial director Marc Varin, the budget assumes France's women's team advancing to the quarter-finals of the 2025 Euro in Switzerland (2-27 July). For the men's team, the FFF anticipates reaching the quarter-finals in the 2026 World Cup; however, as the competition concludes after the fiscal year, results will be carried over to the 2026-2027 fiscal year, Varin explained.

FFF's Desire to Return to Stade de France

Ten meetings for the French team are scheduled for the upcoming season, including five in France but outside the Stade de France, as Marc Varin pointed out. Negotiations between the FFF and the Saint-Denis stadium are ongoing, according to President Philippe Diallo. He admitted, "If the concerns we had during our initial discussions with GL Events can be addressed, it would be ideal for the Federation to return with the French team to the Stade de France." An "intense period of negotiations" was paused during Vinci-Bouygues' former concessionaire appeal examination, but the last appeal was dismissed on Thursday, allowing the contract to be signed, Diallo added.

Combating Violence in Amateur Football with Chest Cameras

The FFF will provide chest cameras to amateur referees for select matches to tackle aggression and incivility, President Philippe Diallo announced. This tool aims to serve as a "deterrent," as players are likely to display less violence when they realize they are being filmed. The Federation has experimented with these cameras in three regions this season, including Loire, Grand Vaucluse, and Moselle, with impressive results, according to the FFF. In Loire alone, the cameras were applied to 140 matches since 2017, resulting in only two cases where footage was used in a disciplinary hearing, evident of the deterrent's effectiveness.

Philippe Diallo remarked strongly, "We must take a firm stance against the troublemakers disrupting our competitions and depriving us of the joy of playing football." Additionally, the FFF has suggested several measures to minimize aggression in amateur football, such as permitting only captains to address referees as in professional leagues, suspending games temporarily for both teams to regain composure, or using a 'white card' to temporarily exclude a player for misbehavior. In addition, the Federation has proposed that leagues and districts systematically file a civil complaint in the event of referee harassment.

Ligue 3 Debut in 2026-2027

As per the FFF's Executive Committee request, the formation of a professional Ligue 3 championship will indeed occur, starting from the 2026-2027 season. The league will consist of eighteen teams, with access methods to Ligue 2 already set. The top two teams will gain direct entry, while playoffs involving the 3rd to 6th and the 4th to 5th teams will be organized. The surviving duos will square off on the top-placed side's field, culminating in a final showdown between the winner and Ligue 2's 16th-placed team.

Confirmed New Format in Women's Coupe de la Ligue

In women's football, the Coupe de la LFFP format has been definitively confirmed. It will gather the twelve clubs from Arkema Première Ligue and the twelve from Seconde Ligue, structured into two phases. Initially, a group phase will consist of five geographical groups containing four or five teams, with European clubs (OL Lyonnes, PSG, and PFC) exempted. Following a knockout phase with single-elimination matches, the five group winners will proceed, joined by the top three teams from the quarter-finals. The final will take place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

The French Football Federation (FFF) plans to invest a significant portion of the approved record budget, amounting to nearly 300 million euros, in elevating amateur and women's football, highlighting their commitment to sports-analysis and development. With 106.2 million euros earmarked for amateur football and 14 million for women's football development, the FFF intends to foster a more inclusive and competitive sports environment, promoting the growth of football at all levels.