Coronavirus: Ligue 1 season over as sport in France not allowed to resume until September
Written by News on 28/04/2020
The Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 seasons are to be cancelled after French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced no sporting events, even those behind closed doors, could take place before September.
During an announcement about how the French government intend to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions, it was confirmed the 2019/20 seasons in professional sport would not resume.
The French top flight is the first of Europe’s top five leagues to call an end to their domestic campaign and follows a similar move by the Eredivisie in the Netherlands last week.
Phillipe said: “The 2019-2020 season of professional sports, including football, will not be able to resume.
“It will be possible, on sunny days, to practice an individual sporting activity outdoors, obviously respecting the rules of social distancing.
“It will not be possible, neither to practice sport in covered places, nor team or contact sports.”
No announcement is yet to be made about whether league leaders Paris Saint-Germain will be awarded the title and how European qualification and relegation will be defined in Ligue 1.
PSG are currently top of the 2019-20 Ligue 1 table with a 12-point lead, while Marseille, Rennes and Lille make up the top four, with Toulouse bottom of the table.
In Ligue 2, the top five teams are separated by just four points with Lorient, Lens, Ajaccio, Troyes and Clermont all targeting promotion.
The French Professional Football League is expected to meet next month to discuss the final standings.
Both PSG and Lyon are still in the Champions League and UEFA announced earlier this month their intention to end the 2019-20 season with the final of Europe’s club showpiece on August 29.
UEFA’s Executive Committee will hold its next conference call on May 27, where it intends to reach a decision over whether this season’s European competitions can be completed in August.
(c) Sky Sports 2020: Coronavirus: Ligue 1 season over as sport in France not allowed to resume until September
