July 2 – At last good news for French league football. Online bookmaker Betclic has agreed a three-season deal to become a marquee partner of the Ligue de Football Professional’s (LFP) Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships.
No figure has been announced for the deal but Betclic said it is a record sponsorship for the company.
The French leagues will start their 2020/21 season in September and are the only one of Europe’s Big 5 leagues to have curtailed its season. Since then a number clubs and the league have variously battled over commercial issues and the LFP’s promotion/relegation decisions in the French courts, arguing that the season could have been played out.
It is understood the start date of the new sponsorship will be with the 2020/21 season though that has still to be confirmed and could still be subject to issues and rebate negotiations with previous sponsors.
Betclic will be in a second tier of sponsors for both leagues behind UBER Eats as headline sponsor of Ligue 1 and BKT tyres as lead sponsor of Ligue 2.
LFP Director-General Didier said: “We are very pleased to welcome Betclic as a partner of Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT. The arrival of this new partnership demonstrates the attractiveness of our two competitions. Alongside Betclic, a modern and strong company for young people, we find the best partner to support us in our recruitment and digital engagement challenges.”
Betclic takes more bets on Ligue 1 than any other competition and with the sponsorship is targeting 18-35 year olds.
“We are very proud to partner with Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT. These 2 competitions are very appreciated by our players, Ligue 1 Uber Eats being in particular the most wagered competition on Betclic,” said Betclic CEO Nicolas Béraud.
“The offer that we are going to deploy as part of this partnership will allow all French football fans to live their passion even more intensely.”
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