What if the two National Cup finals were held earlier than expected? PSG-Saint-Etienne, final of the Coupe de France, and PSG-Lyon, final of the Coupe de la Ligue, could not be held for the moment due to the pandemic of Covid-19. French football wants them to fight behind closed doors in August, if the health crisis allows.
Noël Le Graët, the president of the French Federation (FFF), even wants to “reopen” the possibility of playing football in France through the final of the Coupe de France. For the symbol because it is one of the favorite competitions of the French, mixing amateurs and professionals. For the money, because it gives rise to the last installments of its broadcasters, 4 million euros by France Télévisions and Eurosport.
The French state could give satisfaction to the leaders sooner than expected. According to our information, the government is preparing to issue decrees in the coming days stipulating the ban on sports competitions until the end of the state of health emergency. They will be accompanied by application texts (decrees, circulars) from the Ministry of Sports, which for the moment has not planned that matches can be held before the month of August in France and behind closed doors.
The Greens of Saint-Etienne want the public
As of Thursday, May 7, the health status runs until July 24, but Parliamentarians will undoubtedly change the date soon. After the first reading of the bill, presumably this Friday, deputies and senators will try to agree on a compromise version. There is already consensus on one point: the extension of the state of health emergency until July 10, not 24 as originally planned.
Depending on the decree of the public authorities, it will therefore in theory be possible to resume competitions the day after the end of the state of health emergency. On July 25 or July 11, if the pandemic allows, PSG-Saint-Etienne then PSG-Lyon could therefore argue, at the Stade de France or elsewhere, and of course behind closed doors.
On May 3 in L’Équipe, Roland Romeyer, one of the two presidents of ASSE, opposed this device, declaring: “We are told about this final in an empty Stade de France. I can’t imagine for a minute that we play it without our supporters. It will not pass by ours. Saint-Étienne, without its supporters, is no longer Saint-Étienne. For me, it is not possible to play it without them. “
The problem of training
If it is not necessary to exclude a share of com ‘in this speech, there is very little chance that the Greens refuse to play the final as expected. If successful, Claude Puel’s team would qualify for the Europa League. If Lyon won the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, the club of Jean-Michel Aulas would also participate in the C3.
For the moment, the board of directors of the Professional Football League has established and validated a final classification which allows Nice and Reims to be propelled into the Europa League if the two Cup finals cannot take place. There remains the problem of training.
To date, clubs can only resume by sessions bringing together a maximum of ten people and respecting physical distance. They are not entitled to group sessions or contact between players. But by June and even more in July, this may change depending on the state of the pandemic at that time.