The French Strike: A Rough Guide

Saturday 25th of October could be all about strikers in France, however, the way things stand, it will not be the likes of Karim Benzema, Fernando Cavenaghi or Mamadou Niang who will being discussed in the cafés, bars and bistros of Lyon, Paris or Marseille. For the first time since the 1970s, French footballers are preparing to protest by not playing; here's a brief attempt to explain the ins and outs.

THE REASONS

At the heart of the dispute is the desire for the LFP to increase the share of presidents on their board of 26 to a majority - at the moment, the number of presidents on the board is 12.

Basically, the UNFP are concerned that by having a majority of presidents on the LFP’s board, will have a negative impact on its members. Concerns have been raised by Philippe Piat that the current footballing calendar could be altered to increase revenue or that rates of pay for all footballers could be cut as the presidents attempt to manipulate a greater share of the profits for their own use.

‘Why would millionaire footballers want to strike?’ is a very reasonable question that should be raised. Morally, of course, they have a right to protect their working conditions, even if many footballers are, compared to mere mortals, exuberantly paid.

Of course, not ever player affiliated to the UNFP will be lavishly rewarded as the strike will encompass every player at a Ligue 1 or a Ligue 2 club as well as referees, coaches, club doctors, etc. These more modestly paid actors are also attempting to safeguard their livelihoods.  

THE ACTORS

The UNFP

The UNFP (Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels) is the trade union of professional footballers in France i.e. every player participating in competition in the top two flights of the game.

Formed in late 1961, the UNFP has been presided over by Philippe Piat (pictured), a former top level striker, since 1969 and aims, of course, to protect the rights of its members.

Generally this is done in a mundane way, forming teams of out of contract players to feature in friendly matches in the hope that a coach’s attention is captured but, in this more extreme circumstance, they are gathering momentum for a strike.

The LFP

President of the LFP, Frederic Thiriez is being portrayed as the chief villain in this drama. Complete with a questionable choice of facial hair, the 56 year-old is also closely involved with the UCPF (Union des Clubs Professionnels de Football), which is the association that represents the interests of the club owners and presidents.

Of course, the UCPF, who are in a tag-team with the LFP, are at complete loggerheads with the UNFP at present. Club presidents have unanimously voiced their discontent with the rebellious players.

Only yesterday, Progès quoted Bernard Caïazzo, co-president of Saint-Étienne, as describing the action as “the strike of the millionaires, who plan to tangle between the Bastile and the Republic with Besancenot, Holland and Marie-Georges Buffet [the three leaders of France’s most prominent left-wing political parties] amongst their ranks.”

The Mediators

Ultimately, the FFF, France’s footballing association, shall decide what action the LFP takes. But, as the LFP is simply a branch of the FFF and because Frederic Thiriez is currently vice-president of the FFF, it seems like a case of children voting for Christmas – of course they will agree to the action.

A steadying influence can only come from outside. French Secretary of State for Sport, Bernard Laporte, the former coach of the French rugby union side, is the man acting as the true mediator.

Professional rugby in France has a background where the presidents are in majority control and Laporte has already admitted that this system works well for rugby.

He is prepared to take a holistic view of football’s current predicament, though. Yesterday he made encouraging noises for the rebels, arguing that such drastic action should not be taken quickly and while the players were so set against it.

He did provide a cautionary note for the UNFP stating, “Legally, there would be no obstacle to prevent the presidents of the clubs having 14 seats on the board,” and that the decision would not be his, but the FFF’s.

THE OUTCOME

So far, it seems that the LFP will go ahead with their plans to give the club presidents a majority share of the board, although there are now signs that Laporte’s advice may be heeded.

Thiriez was bullish after Laporte made his statement yesterday, issuing a press release that read, “The minister gave his agreement with regard to our plan of redistributing seats on the board… This position appears reasonable to me.”

Also indicating the he would welcome dialogue between all the main parties involved in these discussions, Thiriez hopes that discussions in the coming weeks will be profitable.

The UNFP are unlikely to back down, describing their attitude to the moustachioed leader of the LFP as ‘indignant’ in a press release last night and warning that their preparations to strike continue.

Both sides appear in a deadlock at present and, if the current situation holds, a strike seems more likely than not. If it was to go ahead, it would affect the weekend of the 24th of October and would run to the 27th, thereby destroying a whole round of games.

Expect to hear a great deal more about developments in the coming weeks.