Stéphane Richard rejected for LFP Media role before OM post | OneFootball

Stéphane Richard was in contention to run LFP Media before becoming OM president, but Vincent Labrune did not approve his candidacy and the job went to Nicolas de Tavernost. According to L'Équipe, he emerged after Ben Morel left in late 2024.

Richard had chased a senior role in French professional football for more than a year. He was backed by CVC, which invested €1.5bn for 13% of LFP Media.

He also had support from Lens president Joseph Oughourlian and from OM, clubs at odds with the league’s leadership. Then-OM president Pablo Longoria met him, and he also spoke with FFF chief Philippe Diallo.

Labrune and several club presidents felt he was not the best fit, preferring a more business, less political profile. Under LFP Media’s statutes, the chief executive must be endorsed by CVC and the league president. De Tavernost secured consensus, started in spring 2025, then resigned, with LFP and CVC now seeking a replacement.

At his unveiling on Friday, Richard said OM is financially robust thanks to its owner but faces challenges shared across French clubs, largely tied to TV rights. Citing Orange’s stint as a Ligue 1 broadcaster and his 2012 choice not to renew, he called it a historical imbalance that will not be fixed overnight. He added that OM has a role to play and he intends to play it.

Talks on the issue could move quickly, with a new Ligue 1 rights tender for 2029-2034 by year-end still possible.

Source: L'Équipe