A lot of stir in the futsal community was recorded yesterday as the French futsal clubs issued a joint statement to the French Football Federation (FFF) in which they demanded better, or simply put - equal treatment as their high-level counterparts in football.
Despite the fact that FFF's document from October 2020 acknowledged D1 Futsal Championship as a high-level competition, like football's Ligue 1 for example, which enabled it to continue with competition during curfew and other Covid measures, D1 clubs now feel left out and abandoned by the FFF due to the fact that they did not receive equal treatment as other competitions and clubs of the same level.
One of the issues pointed out was that French futsal clubs were not subjected to health-protocol, unlike their counterparts from high-level competitions.
"Although considered to be a high-level sport, our discipline does not enjoy the same attention from national bodies. For example, when the other federal championships are subject to a real health protocol, the France Championship of D1 Futsal does not receive any specific support on this point."
The clubs and players from the elite of French futsal are wondering what measures are to be put in place in order to continue and deepen the development of futsal at the national level. That is why the French futsal clubs asked once again for a meeting with the President of the FFF in order to express their willingness to work with the federal authorities on the future development of futsal with concrete proposals.
Therefore, French futsal clubs issued a number of concrete requests which, they believe, will improve their situation.
The first one is the introduction of the solidarity fund that would help the clubs fight the rising expenses and lower profits caused by the Covid protocols and due to the fact that the licensing process cost has increased by 20%, which has negatively impacted the futsal clubs in the country.
Furthermore, French futsal clubs requested equal travel allowances like their high-level counterparts, which should be 7€/km. In addition to this, the D1 futsal clubs asked the FFF to increase their efforts to hone in a general sponsor for the league.
Two last things that the clubs have demanded are for futsal club's representatives to be included in the procedures of laws and regulations and to involve clubs in the elections of representatives for men's tournaments.
"In the light of the treatment inflicted on our sport and in the absence of any consideration by the bodies responsible for managing it, we, Presidents of the 12 clubs of D1 Futsal, will in the coming weeks, undergo all kinds of actions that can lead to a change of this intolerable situation."
