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PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain was named Ligue 1 champion on Thursday (April 30) after the French soccer league declared that the coronavirus season was over, leaving other clubs disappointed and reflecting on legal action.
PSG led the table by 12 points from Marseille when the season was suspended in mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which killed more than 24,000 people in France.
The LFP announcement comes after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Tuesday that “professional sports leagues, especially soccer, cannot be restarted” due to the pandemic.
“There is no ambiguity about this statement. We needed to make a final decision on this season. We recognize that the 2019-20 season ended,” LFP President Nathalie Boy de la Tour said in a conference call with journalists.
France becomes the largest European league by the time its season ends, as do its neighbors in England, Germany, Italy and Spain consider ways to resume games.
By ruling out any chance of copying the Netherlands, which canceled their season without a champion, relegation or promotion, the LFP organized a final table based on average points per game.
Ten rounds of games remained when the campaign stopped, although PSG and Strasbourg had a game in hand.
As a result, PSG is champion with an average of 2.52 points per game, with Marseille by Andre Villas-Boas second with an average of two points and qualifying for the Champions League.
TITLE DEDICATED TO HEALTH WORKERS
“We wish to dedicate this title to all health workers and other everyday heroes whose commitment and sacrifice throughout these long weeks deserve our admiration,” said PSG President Nasser al-Khelaifi.
It is PSG’s ninth French title, the seventh in eight seasons for the Qatar-owned club to be awarded under unique circumstances and with many of its foreign players, including Neymar, returning to their home countries with France under strict lockout.
“We understand, respect and support the decisions made by the French government to stop the season. Health, as the government has always said, must be everyone’s priority,” added Al-Khelaifi, whose club still hopes to continue its champions. . The league campaign reached the quarterfinals before the action stopped.
Rennes finishes third and also qualifies for the Champions League, while Lille, fourth classified, will play in the Europa League.
LYON TO APPEAL?
Toulouse and Amiens, the latter two, are doomed to relegation, with Lorient as champions, and Lens leaving Ligue 2. Meanwhile, the usual promotion and relegation playoffs have been abandoned.
However, Toulouse has kept open the possibility that they can now take legal action.
The identity of the other European representatives depends on whether the finals of the two national cups are ever played.
Large gatherings remain banned in France until September.
However, if the French government and UEFA agree, both finals could be organized in early August with European venues still at stake. The LFP hopes to start next season on August 23 “at the latest.”
PSG were supposed to play Lyon in the League Cup final and Saint-Etienne in the French Cup final. If the games are played, Lyon and Saint-Etienne could qualify for the Europa League by winning.
Otherwise Nice and Reims would qualify by virtue of finishing fifth and sixth in the league.
Lyon, seventh in the table when the season stopped, would miss the European ranking for the first time in more than two decades.
Ironically, they were still involved in this season’s Champions League when it was suspended, leading Juventus 1-0 after the first leg of their last 16 draws.
Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas had previously expressed hope that the season could be concluded through play-offs in August and his club has now hinted at legal action.
In a statement on Thursday, Lyon said “it reserves the possibility of trying to appeal this decision and claim damages and interests”, adding that “the losses for the club will reach several million euros.”
For all French clubs, the financial consequences of ending the season could now be serious.
Resuming closed-door matches would have safeguarded television revenues, but the loss for clubs in the two main divisions of the remaining payments from broadcasters Canal Plus and beIN Sports is believed to amount to € 243 million ($ 266 million). ), plus 35 million euros for international rights.
