This new season of D1 women’s football delivered its implacable verdict on Wednesday: Olympique Lyonnais won its 17th French championship title in the last 18 editions, with a comfortable cushion of 11 points ahead of PSG. So yes but no, because it was only the end of the “regular” season, before the start of play-offs unpublished Saturday and Sunday. Don’t imagine endless best-of-seven-game battles like there are currently in the NBA. Only the first four D1 teams compete in a format of four straight matches, in the semi-finals then finals (May 17).
This change of direction still caused a small revolution in the world of women’s football, accustomed to seeing consistency over 22 matches being rewarded. There, the Lyonnaises will play a large part of their season over 90 minutes, Sunday (5 p.m.) at Parc OL, during their half against Stade de Reims (4th)… which they are ahead of by 26 points in the standings.
“The women’s D1 had to remain as it was”
“This new formula is not necessarily negative,” confided last month to 20 minutes the young OL attacker Melchie Dumornay. It allows clubs to show themselves, to prove themselves with the opportunity to participate in a final. But for me, the French women’s D1 had to remain as it was. It was its identity, like the other major European championships which have kept their values. »
After having reigned so much over the women’s D1 as president of OL, Jean-Michel Aulas is the man who undertook this reform last year, which existed in another time in France, from 1999 to 2004, i.e. before any outline of a professional contract.
“The broadcasters wanted suspense until the end”
Formalized on April 29 as president of the new Women’s professional football league, he fiercely defends this choice so criticized within his former club. In an interview given Monday to 20 minutesJMA explains, against the backdrop of negotiations for TV rights before this 2023-2024 season.
“ At the FFF, we worked on the promotion of professional women’s football. In the negotiations with the TV broadcasters, it appeared that we had a small handicap: they wanted there to be greater competitiveness between all the actors and suspense until the end. The Fédé therefore wanted to present a more selling product. I thought that these play-offs would allow everyone to emerge from it, to put pressure on clubs until the end. In life, democracy has always made it possible to change things in the medium and long term. There, 10 clubs out of 12 were in favor, so we considered it to be a majority. » »
You will have no trouble identifying the two holdouts, namely Lyon and Paris, who have monopolized the first two places in D1 in 12 of the last 13 seasons. If PSG is rather discreet in the media on the subject, the general director of OL women Vincent Ponsot was very offensive regarding this choice… of his former boss, Thursday in Progress : “The play-offs are neither cultural nor fair in terms of meritocracy. And we were refused to bring our two matches forward by one day. At some point, we reach saturation.”
“Lyon and Paris are not alone”
In the opposite camp, we find for example David Fanzel, sports manager of FC Fleury 91 (5th), unexpected faller of OL in the Coupe de France semi-final in March (0-0, 4-5 on penalties), and who dreamed of a new coup in the final stages at Décines, until the fatal setback during the final day of D1 against Montpellier on Wednesday ( 2-3).
“It spices up our season, but also that of several clubs [seulement six points ont séparé Reims (4e) du 7e Saint-Etienne] who were right to the end in the race for the semi-finals, appreciates this former coach at FC Metz. I find this initiative brilliant for French women’s football, which has been widely criticized for the low level of adversity in its championship. Lyon and Paris are not alone and if women’s football wants to grow, it needs everyone. We must be united and not only think about our own interests. »
Stade de Reims will be able to consider the Champions League for the first time in its history if it wins one of its two play-off matches. Because the future champion of France will qualify directly for the C1 group stage, while the finalist and the winner of the match for third place will go through preliminary rounds to be there. A somewhat ludicrous scenario could therefore see OL lift their 9th European Cup, on May 25 against Barça… without being qualified for the following edition, in the event of a setback on Sunday then during the final for third place in D1. “To be able to both lose the title and not be European next season is total heresy,” complains Vincent Ponsot.
“OK, the play-offs will no longer be of any use from 2025”
Well, this is only for this first version of the final phases, since Jean-Michel Aulas has just announced “an evolution” from next season. “UEFA considers that those qualified for the Champions League must be the first three in the championship. We therefore decided to evolve our formula towards a mixed solution: the champion will be the one from the play-offs but the qualifiers will be the first three in the ranking after 22 days. »
A development perceived as a big step backwards by David Fanzel, suddenly less enthusiastic when he was told the news: “OK, that means that the play-offs will no longer be of any use from 2025. There will no longer be the less interest if the places in the European Cup are no longer at stake. JMA obviously defends this choice, determining according to him to “have the best possible competition and the best valuation of TV rights”.
To receive more TV rights, the League must no longer see OL and PSG crush the D1
Since the 2023 agreement for the broadcast of the women’s D1 on Canal + until 2029, the play-offs formula is also guaranteed in the contract with the encrypted channel. This is not his only decision aimed at getting women’s football off the ground for good in France. The vice-president of the FFF cites in this sense the establishment of a license which will prevent clubs from “not having satisfactory human and technical infrastructures”. Understand that the new Women’s Professional Football League will go on the hunt for bad pitches, will ban synthetic pitches, and will ensure that the television broadcast of matches can take place in optimal conditions.
The key is that there are “bonuses to be achieved” from Canal + based on criteria linked to the TV audiences generated but also to “respect for competitiveness”. Clearly, the two leading teams in D1 must ultimately total fewer points than their English, Spanish, German and Italian counterparts. Another objective for JMA: the transition from a D1 from 12 to 14 clubs which it wants from the 2025-2026 season.
From €50 to €70 million dedicated to women’s football over five years
“I personally regretted that we didn’t surf enough during the 2019 World Cup in France,” he summarizes. There, we fully intend to do it after the Paris 2024 Olympics, also thanks to an economic model which has been completely transformed so that this professional League is the best in Europe, ahead of England. At the last FFF Executive Committee, I voted for an investment over five years of between 50 and 70 million euros in order to give this dynamic to professional women’s football. »
If FC Barcelona has just easily won its fifth title in a row in Spain, and Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg have constantly occupied the first two places across the Rhine for nine years, England appears to be the example to follow , since Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal are within five points in the middle of the final sprint. Time for the first big test of the French play-offs, Saturday (9 p.m.) at the Parc des Princes for PSG-PFC, with VAR and referees’ sound system as a bonus, to see if it makes players and (TV) spectators as enthusiastic as Jean-Michel Aulas.