Lecomte criticises empty stadiums in Ligue 1: “Starts to become annoying”
AS Monaco goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte (photo) got all worked up about the low average utilization of Ligue 1 stadiums after the 1-0 defeat at AS St.Etienne. “It starts to become annoying to play in empty stadiums,” the 28-year-old, who plays in the French top tier for eight years, said (quoted via FranceFootball).
In the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, which usually has room for 42,000 spectators, only 15,685 seats were filled on Sunday night. In this case, it was also down to sanctions by the French football association LFP, who punished ASSE fans with two closed stands after misdemeanours involving pyrotechnics. “We are professionals and have the chance to play in front of a great crowd. But these measures ruin the atmosphere for us and the fans,” Lecomte also criticised the FA.
Average utilization: Only Serie A worse than Ligue 1 in top 5 leagues
However, Ligue 1 have a spectator problem even without sanctions being imposed. This shows extremely at Lecomte’s employer as well. Although the Stade Louis-II, with a capacity of 18,523, is one of the smallest venues in the league, it is not even half-full on average this season (utilization of 44.9 per cent). FC Toulouse can only fill up a third of their seats to 38.2 per cent.
6 Premier League clubs in top 20 - international attendance ranking
Combined, all clubs of the French league have an average utilization of 69.6 per cent - only Serie A (68.0 per cent) has lower figure in the top 5 leagues, which is partly down to the bigger stadiums, however. The Premier League tops that ranking with 97.3 per cent, ahead of the Bundesliga (91.8 per cent) and Spain’s LaLiga, where 76.6 per cent of seats are filled.
- Date of birth/Age:
- Apr 26, 1991 (33)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Montpellier HSC
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2027
- Position:
- Goalkeeper
- Market Value:
- €4.00m