Lyon and Monaco agree to play French Ligue 1 game in China, says report
- Plan to play first domestic league game in Shanghai next February is subject to Fifa approval
- Monaco played in the season-opening Trophee des Champions in Shenzhen in 2018
French Ligue 1 giants Lyon and Monaco have agreed to play a domestic league match in China next year, according to reports.
The plan, which would require approval from Fifa, would see Monaco’s home match against Lyon next February moved to Shanghai, French daily newspaper L’Equipe reported.
France’s top-flight, organised by the LFP, has long courted the Chinese market but is struggling financially after rights disagreements with French broadcaster Canal Plus, Qatari-owned broadcaster BeIN Sports and streaming giant Amazon.
The French league is comparatively undersold, bringing in around 10 per cent of La Liga’s overseas television rights income, and 5 per cent of the English Premier League’s.
L’Equipe reported that officials at both clubs have agreed the groundbreaking move in theory, with Monaco vice-president Oleg Petrov describing it as an “ambitious project”.
