Before talking about what’s happening on the pitch, what are your thoughts about the television rights agreement between the LFP and Canal+?

Two things. Firstly, the positive. We have a television station, Canal+, that will broadcast all our matches in France until the end of the season and ensure that people can watch us. It also suggests that we will be able to discuss about the future.

The second point is that we really need to understand the full extent of the economic damage done to European clubs by this global pandemic and that in France, we have added the problem of the television rights. Today, they have been reduced by nearly 50% since the start of the season. That has created huge financial problems, especially since it is across the board, all the way to amateur football, which is also dependant on professional football for its development. I do, however, see a unique opportunity. When you are going through a crisis, you deal with the present, but you also think about the future. This current crisis should ensure we think deeply about what is ‘the Ligue 1 product’ for a television station, so as to make the necessary changes to increase its attractiveness.

Finally, while OGC Nice has always remained close to Canal+, I also have a thought for everyone that worked at Téléfoot. They were professional right to the end. We had a good partnership with them that resulted in the Issa Nissa series on our platforms. They are good people, I wish them well and hope we see them soon in the stadiums.

Apart from the loss in the derby, the match will be remembered for the serious injury to Jeff Reine-Adelaïde. Still fresh in the mind…

Yes, we are all very upset, the players, the coaching staff, everyone. It’s very sad. We had some good news today: his meeting with the surgeon went well and he will undergo a knee reconstruction next Tuesday. We wish him all the very best.

Like often, when it rains, it pours…

We could have that feeling this season… We have also made mistakes. There’s no denying it’s been a bad season so far. But it’s not finished yet. It hasn’t put an end to our plans or brought the project into question. Not by a long way! On the contrary, we need to perform even better to make up for lost time. The priority is to win as many points as possible to save the season, while always looking to prepare for the next term.

What are you looking to build on?

The situation at the moment is that we don’t have enough points and that the bad news keeps coming (in addition to the serious injury to Reine-Adelaide, Jordan Lotomba will also be sidelined for several weeks). Today, the most important thing is to not give up. We need to fight all together. It’s our obligation, and we have the ability, to turn this situation around. So we have to find the positives and build on them. It’s not rocket science. It’s the only way to get our confidence back. There were positives against Monaco. We need to build on that, build on those positives and turn this around.

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