French football authorities need to reconsider decision to end Ligue 1, urges Olympique Lyon
Olympique Lyon write to President Emmanuel Macron to restart Ligue 1
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Olympique Lyon have asked the football association in France to reconsider their decision to end the Ligue 1 after the Bundesliga resumed play with the La Liga set to follow. The French top tier alongside their second tier were amongst the first major European league to bring an end to their season.
After the Jupiler Pro League in Belgium and the Eredivise in the Netherlands, the Ligue 1 in France followed suit and opted to end their league season instead of waiting to resume action. That decision has come under immense criticism from the clubs and it saw three clubs including Amiens file a legal case against the French football association. But Amiens, alongside Olympique Lyon and Toulouse, have lost their appeal in a courtroom after a judge upheld the ruling made by the FFF (French Football Federation).
However, Lyon are still outraged at the decision taken by the French government in April and believe that the FFF alongside the government made the decision hastily. Furthermore, their fight has been given a new lease of life after Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gave the green light for the resumption of professional football in Spain. That has seen Olympique Lyon release a lengthy statement in which they’ve urged France President Emmanuel Marcon to take a U-turn and change their decision.
"Olympique Lyonnais welcomes the decision this Saturday by Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish President, as his government authorised the resumption of La Liga from June 8. After the Bundesliga, this will be the second major league in Europe to return to the pitch. Olympique Lyonnais hopes that the example of Spain, following that of Germany, will help authorities reconsider the decision taken too hastily in France,” said the statement.
"We can reasonably imagine that the position of coaches and players in the French league is today much more in favour of a resumption of play than it had been during the UNFP poll conducted April 23 or when Didier Deschamps (the French national team head coach) confided on April 27 to President Emmanuel Macron his reluctance and his fear for the players' health. OL calls on President Emmanuel Macron to support the spirit of a France that should react to its European competitors.
While the Bundesliga has already resumed action, the La Liga and the Premier League have set their dates of restart for June 12th although the English Top tier hasn’t been given a green light yet. But with the Serie A’s restart date around the same time, it bodes well for the clubs within those leagues once the Champions League and Europa League resumes play. That saw Lyon further confess that it places them, and PSG, at a disadvantage and it could cause an even bigger problem.
"Beyond the economic disaster that will hit the French league hard, the most successful French clubs are still qualified in the Champions League, and will find themselves at a disadvantage during their European matches. PSG and Olympique Lyonnais, both still in the competition with both of their teams, female and male, will be penalized against opponents who will have benefited from the resumption of their league seasons," the statement continued.
