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Column: While PSG thrives, French football drowns

By WTOP Staff

JOHN LEICESTER
AP Sports Columnist

PARIS (AP) — When billionaire investors bought Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco in 2011, it seemed like the dawn of a new era for French football, a chance for the puniest of Europe’s “Big 5” leagues to grow some financial and competitive muscle.

Pop! How quickly that bubble of optimism has burst.

Instead of catching up with the Premier League or the Bundesliga, a growing catalog of signs indicates that French clubs — with the exception of Qatari-owned PSG — are slipping further behind rivals in England, Germany, Spain and Italy. Russia, sinking hundreds of billions of rubles of public and private money into the 2018 World Cup and its football clubs, is also now snapping at France’s heels.

Armed with an awesome collection of players, owners with seemingly bottomless pockets, and by far the biggest revenues and crowds in France, PSG has quickly become a European force. But it could be a long time — perhaps never — before the likes of Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Monaco or Reims play another European Cup final.

“It is alarming,” France’s junior minister for sport, Thierry Braillard, said this week in an interview with The Associated Press. “Our problem is that there is a very big difference between Paris Saint-Germain and all the other teams.”

One of France’s World Cup stars, winger Mathieu Valbuena, said “au revoir” to Marseille this August for a bigger salary at Dynamo Moscow. More alarming: Russia vaulted ahead of France in the rankings UEFA uses to gauge the relative strength of Europe’s leagues and, vitally, how many clubs they can enter in UEFA competitions.

While English clubs splurged record amounts to strengthen their lineups in the transfer window that closed this week, French clubs made do. For every euro spent recruiting players, the Premier League spent eight, research by audit firm Deloitte shows. The Spanish league outspent the top French division by a ratio of 4-to-1, with Italy’s Serie A and the German Bundesliga also outspending it by more than 2-to-1.

Monaco pawned off its biggest stars, Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez, to Manchester United and Real Madrid, respectively — a clear signal that the club’s Russian billionaire owner, Dmitry Rybolovlev, is losing his appetite for lavish spending.

Monaco’s retreat leaves PSG alone as by far the biggest fish in a dwindling pond. Even PSG’s president recognizes that is a danger for his club’s future ambitions, because a championship becoming a monopoly risks losing its appeal.

Without a strong Monaco, France could also struggle to recoup the UEFA ranking points it needs to move back ahead of Russia. Unless that slide is reversed, France could be left with just one guaranteed spot in UEFA’s lucrative Champions League from 2016.

And if PSG monopolizes that spot, by winning the league title year after year, it will scoop up tens of millions of euros (dollars) in UEFA prize money each season, while most or all other French teams could be left with none or far less. That, in turn, could set in stone the already yawning financial gulf between the Paris club and its supposed French rivals.

“We were counting heavily on Monaco to keep winning (UEFA) points,” Bruno Satin, one of France’s best-known player agents, said in an AP interview. “Now that they’ve slammed the brakes on their plans, we’re asking ourselves what’s going to happen and I think all of French football is going to suffer.

“With all the resources at its disposal and the World Cup coming, Russia and its clubs will continue to make important investments and attract good players,” he added. “So their upward accession will continue.”

Luc Dayan, who presided over several clubs including Lille and Lens, said in a separate AP interview: “We have a real problem of economic competitiveness. And now that it has become visible, you can see it, on the pitch and in the clubs’ accounts.”

Braillard argued that the problem isn’t entirely of France’s making, noting that other countries allowed clubs to accumulate monster debts, while the French league’s financial watchdog forces clubs to be more prudent.

“Should we allow French clubs to go deep into debt and head for bankruptcy so they can become competitive in the Champions League? I don’t think so,” Braillard said. “I think we can find other solutions. But the other European nations perhaps also need to reflect on the colossal debts of certain clubs which leave them totally fragile.”

Others blame over-taxation and socialist President Francois Hollande’s super tax on top earners for weakening clubs and driving away big-name players. A government-commissioned study this year found that for a player paid 1.8 million euros ($2.4 million), French clubs must pay an additional 504,000 euros ($662,000) in social security taxes. A German club would pay just 12,000 euros ($15,800), the report said.

There were hopes that France’s hosting of the European Championship in 2016 will also boost its clubs. But Braillard said new or renovated stadiums in Lille, Marseille and Nice so far haven’t significantly improved revenue for those teams and “haven’t had the hoped-for effects.”

“The main reason is that we don’t have a real football culture,” Dayan said. “In France, you can count on the fingers of one hand those clubs that have a genuine, loyal and durable fan base and shareholders and commercial partners who are up to the challenge.

“We need very deep reform.”

___

John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester@ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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