Report: Rest of France Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 seasons have been canceled
The rest of the 2019-2020 season in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 in France has reportedly been canceled.
According to France Football magazine, which awards the Ballon d’Or every year, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that the seasons “will not be able to resume” after declaring that sporting events of more than 5,000 people in France will not take place before September.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel, French soccer’s governing body, announced its plan just last week to start play again by June 17, with practices to begin in May. That plan was enacted to meet the deadline for the completion of domestic leagues, which UEFA set for August 2.
With the prime minister’s new ban on sports extended, there’s no way that Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 could finish their seasons within the UEFA’s deadline, leading to Tuesday’s reported cancellation. The LFP will reportedly meet in May to make decisions on whether there will be a champion and which teams will be promoted and relegated, if any.
Both leagues suspended their in-progress seasons on March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ligue 1 is the first of Europe’s “big five” leagues to cancel the remainder of its season. The Dutch Eredivisie announced its cancellation without a champion or pro/rel last week, and attention now turns toward the Premier League and the other major competitions in Europe.
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