Ligue 1 season over but court suspends relegation for Amiens and Toulouse
France’s highest administrative court has confirmed that the Ligue 1 season is over but have overruled relegation from the top tier for Amiens and Toulouse. The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) opted to end the 2019/20 season early over the COVID-19 pandemic despite many against the decision.
While the Jupiler Pro League in Belgium became one of the first European leagues to end their season over the COVID-19, the Ligue 1 became the first major one to do so. It saw the FFF follow in the footsteps of the Belgian top tier and the Eredivisie in the Netherlands in ending their season early. That saw the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) hand the league title to PSG and the golden boot to Kylian Mbappe, but France’s decision to do so has come under immense criticism with clubs within the league unhappy.
It saw Olympique Lyon, Toulouse and Amiens file an appeal in court over the decision but while the case was dismissed by the Paris Administrative Court. However, it was handed over to the Council of State court and the judgement has gone against Lyon as the court ratified the FFF’s decision to end the Ligue 1 early despite ten games left which will mean that Lyon fails to qualify for European football. But, the court has overruled on relegation for both Amiens and Toulouse with the possibility of a 22 team Ligue 1 for the 2020/21 season.
"There is no serious doubt on the legality of this decision, which weighed the advantages and the disadvantages of an immediate stop of the championship, whereas a very great uncertainty affected the hypothesis of a possible restart of competitions in good time. The judge in summary proceedings considers that the board of directors of the LFP could not legally rely, in deciding to relegate the last two teams in Ligue 1, on the fact that the current agreement concluded with the French Football Federation (FFF) provides for a limit of 20 clubs, while this agreement ends on June 30 and a new agreement will have to be signed," the statement from the Council of State revealed, reported Goal.
"The judge therefore orders the LFP, in conjunction with the competent bodies of the FFF, to re-examine the question of the format of Ligue 1 for the 2020-2021 season, in view of all the elements relating to the conditions under which this season is likely to take place, and to draw the consequences as to the principle of relegation before June 30."