France's LFP Feels 'Abused' By Austrian Promoter After Small Crowd At Opening Match

The French Professional Football League (LFP) announced that it felt “abused” by the Austrian promoter of the Trophy of Champions match “after low attendance was recorded” for the match between Paris St. Germain and Lyon, according to 20 MINUTES. The first official match of the Ligue 1 season has been played outside of France for the past eight years “in an effort by the LFP to promote French football internationally.” Only about 10,000 supporters showed up to the 32,000-seat Klagenfurt, Austria, stadium which hosted Euro 2008 matches. In a statement after the match, the LFP said, “Austrian promoter IFCS had committed to a crowd of 25,000. It was solely responsible for ticket sales and marketing of the event. The organization of security and logistics for the match was flawless but the League was abused by the promoter over the marketing and ticketing” (20 MINUTES, 8/7).

Le Wörthersee-Stadion accueillait hier soir le #TDC2016 ! https://t.co/NapdbgZ4ab #Autriche #Klagenfurt #PSGOL pic.twitter.com/MrlizEmUoc

— Stades & Co (@StadesandCo) August 7, 2016