The third tier of French football will no longer be referred to as the “National”: the Ligue 3 is set to be launched next season.
For several years, officials whose clubs participate in this championship have been pushing for them to become fully professional (it remains predominantly composed of amateur clubs today). The FFF executive committee made progress on the issue this Tuesday. Because if the creation of Ligue 3 is confirmed, the details still need to be outlined. The championship will become professional, but it will remain under the auspices of the FFF and will not be organized by the LFP, unlike Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. It is now known that the Federation will devote a budget of 11 million euros to launch the division and assist the clubs, especially those who are still amateurs today, in becoming professional. “For its sustainability over time, the Executive Committee has approved a number of guidelines in terms of financial regulation, including control of salary masses, according to percentages that are not yet fully determined, and the implementation of a solidarity contribution for clubs that exceed the cap, to ensure a form of equity. And thirdly, the projected losses announced by the clubs will have to be pre-financed from their own funds at the beginning of the season,” also announced FFF President Philippe Diallo.
The FFF aims to facilitate transfers from Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs.
Other points have been specified. For example, a fourth referee will now be designated as in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, which is not the case in the National league today. The championship could also be open to experiments in terms of refereeing. The FFF also wants to value training in Ligue 3 by “limiting the squad and facilitating transfers from Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to Ligue 3 for young players who have little playing time, in particular.” A call for projects to find a broadcaster will be launched, with the aim of quickly determining a typical schedule for matchdays. Ligue 3 will consist of 18 clubs and will offer 2 direct promotions to Ligue 2 as well as a possible promotion through playoffs between the teams finishing 3rd to 6th. The winner will face the 16th-placed team in Ligue 2 in a two-leg match. There will also be 3 direct relegations to National 2.
