Why Young Boys Bern v OL will not be shown on French TV | OneFootball

Young Boys Bern v Olympique Lyonnais in the Europa League will not be broadcast on Canal+ in France on Thursday, with the match blocked by French advertising rules relating to the home club’s shirt sponsor.

Fans can watch Brann Bergen v FC Midtjylland on Canal+live 9, and Salzburg v Basel on Canal+live 8. According to Le Progres, the Bern v OL tie is one of four, out of 18 on this matchday, that the broadcaster will not carry.

This is not a Canal+ choice. The problem is Plus500, Young Boys’ shirt sponsor, whose activity is prohibited from promotion in France.

Plus500 is a London-listed online trading platform provider. Its market capitalisation was valued at £2.1 billion a year ago. The company sponsored Atlético Madrid from 2015 to 2022, and currently partners Young Boys and Legia Warsaw in football, as well as the Chicago Bulls and the Brumbies.

Since 2016, French consumer law has banned advertising for such firms, and the AMF classes some Plus500 contracts as very high risk. The brand cannot appear on screen or in photos, which prevents a live broadcast.

There are precedents, Bern v LOSC on 11 December was not shown, and a Europa Conference League quarter-final between Warsaw and Chelsea last April was also withheld. This time, Canal+ will offer audio commentary with statistical graphics on Canal+live 10, and footage will be aired later in Soir d’Europe once the shirts have been blurred.

Source: Le Progres