World’s most recognisable sports newspaper L’Equipe reaches 11 DAYS off newsstands as staff fight back over job cuts… with 180 athletes – including former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud – backing their cause
- French daily newspaper L’Equipe has now gone a total of 11 days off newsstands
- The publication’s strike has the support of ex-France captain Michel Platini
- Journalists are striking over a plan to cut 50 out of 350 jobs from the company
- The publishing group includes weekly magazine, Velo News and France Football
A strike by staff at L’Equipe, the world’s most famous sports daily newspaper, has reached its eleventh day and has now received the backing of more than 180 athletes, including Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud.
Journalists are striking over a plan to cut 50 out of 350 jobs from the publishing company which also looks after weekly magazine, Velo News, and France Football.
In a show of solidarity, L’Equipe staff have not produced an edition for print or digital in what they have described as a ‘social movement’.
L’Equipe staff hold copies of the newspaper as their strike to protect jobs reaches 11 days
The club’s social media announced that they would continue not to produce any editions
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud (left) and former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (right) are among more than 180 sport stars, past and present, to give their support to L’Equipe staff
Vincent Duluc, a football reporter at L’Equipe, took to Twitter to reveal a list of almost 200 names of sports stars past and present who have backed those on strike.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, ex-Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas, former France captain Michel Platini, Formula One legend Alain Prost and current NBA star Rudy Gobert are among those lending their support to the cause.
The open letter co-signed by the athletes read: ‘For years now, we’ve been rubbing shoulders, we’ve been talking by the side of the pitches, roads, swimming pools, gymnasiums, tracks.
‘Years of exchanging ideas and sometimes even arguing over them.’
Batum, Dumerc, Ferrand-Prévot, Giroud, Gobert, Hinault, Ibañez, Lavillenie, Manaudou, Mayer, Merckx, Noah, Parker, Pérec, Pinot, Platini, Prost, Renard et plus de 180 sportifs : « Reviens vite L’Equipe ! » #reviensviteLEquipe pic.twitter.com/0UrA48Q8BO
— vincent duluc (@vincentduluc) January 15, 2021
One of L’Equipe’s football reporters shared a list of athletes who were supporting their cause
Sport stars from across various disciplines believe more needs to be done to save the paper
The publishing company is anticipating losses of more than £5million for the year of 2021
‘By accompanying my first steps, my victories, my medals, you have been the link with my supporters, millions of sports enthusiasts. You did not hide my defeats, nor my doubts.
‘I confided in you, it was sometimes tense, but we always made up. We have never broken that bond. Except these last few days when, absent from the kiosks, mobile phones and tablets, you leave us destitute.’
Approaching two weeks off the newsstands the impact of the strike has been felt across the entire country.
Taking to Twitter on Friday, French Sports Minister, Roxana Maracineanu, a former Olympic medallist, said that ‘sport is missing L’Equipe’ as staff fight to protect their employment.
Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas (left) and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (right) are supporting
French Sports Minister, Roxana Maracineanu, tweeted on Friday that ‘In recent months we have realised how essential sport is to our daily lives’
‘In recent months we have realised how essential sport is to our daily lives,’ Maracineanu wrote.
‘For the past week we have also realised that sport is missing L’Equipe.’
The strike has been caused by a decision to cut 50 jobs with the publishing group that looks after L’Equipe anticipating losses of more than £5million in 2021.
The group says it anticipates losses of six million euros in 2021 and its plan would save five million euros.