LIGUE 1 has descended into chaosafter Amiens and Toulouse’s relegation to Ligue 2 was suspended by the national court.
The French top-flight was cancelled in April with teams’ current positions deemed final.
Amiens and Toulouse may NOT be relegated to Ligue 2
That meant Paris Saint-Germain were once again crowned champions, with Amiens and Toulouse sitting in the 19th and 20th spots.
A few Ligue 1 sides contested the cancellation, particularly those in with a chance of bagging European places – such as Lyon – and those relegated.
And on Tuesday, a court ruled that while ending the 2019-20 season early was lawful, the relegation of the bottom two clubs was not.
French football chiefs had argued they had a top-flight limit of 20 clubs – but the court pointed out that agreement expires this summer, with nothing yet in place for next season and beyond.
‘SERIOUS DOUBT’
The National Court ruled: “[There] is no serious doubt around the legality of this decision, which weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of an immediate stoppage of the season, when there was very great uncertainty about whether or not competitive action would be able to return in time.
“The LFP board of directors had to accept consequences from the pausing of the leagues.
“The judge validates the decisions made by the LFP, notably in terms of the final classification of the Ligue 1 table, which took into account that not all matches in the 28th gameweek were able to be played.”
However, in regards to the clubs facing being relegated without being afforded the chance to complete their season, the court claimed there was “no sound legal footing”.
They claimed: “[The judge] suspends the relegation into Ligue 2 of Amiens and Toulouse.
“The LFP Board of Directors was not able to argue on sound legal footing their decision to relegate the final two clubs in the Ligue 1 table, attempting to use the grounds that their agreement with the FFF currently provides for a league size limit of 20 clubs.
“However this agreement ends on June 30 and a new one has yet to be signed.”
Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 seasons cancelled as French government announces ban on all football until September
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
