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Ligue 1 won’t resume as French govt bans sporting events till September

The development could effectively mean the end of the Ligue 1 season in France. It was earlier suggested that matches may resume from June 17.

Ligue 1 won’t resume as French govt bans sporting events till September

An empty Parc des Princes, the home ground of PSG. (Photo: Twitter/@PSG_English)

France’s top division Ligue 1 and second division Ligue 2 will not resume after the French government banned all sporting activities until September.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told the country’s national assembly, while addressing plans to ease the lockdown in France that had been put in place to fight the coronavirus pandemic, that “the 2019-20 season of professional sports, including football, will not be able to resume” before September.

“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,” he said.

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The development could effectively mean the end of the football season in France. It was earlier suggested that matches may resume from June 17.

European football governing body UEFA has given a May 25 deadline to national football associations to provide plans of restarting their respective leagues.

However, France’s football association Ligue de Football Professional (LFP) is yet to announce if it is looking to continue the season post September. It is also yet to decide the terms of the cancellation if the season is called off.

As it stands, defending champions Paris St Germain are 12 points clear of second-placed Marseille with 10 rounds of matches left while the former also have a game in hand. Meanwhile, Toulouse are bottom of the table, 17 points from safety, and 10 points behind Amiens. Nimes are 18th and in the relegation play-off spot, three points behind St Etienne in 17th.

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