Paris (AFP)

French football acted on Friday during a meeting of the Bureau of the League of "privileged" dates for the resumption of the 2020-2021 season, with a hoped-for kick-off for Ligue 1 on August 23, it was said. learned from consistent sources, confirming information from The Team.

Stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic, French football, which still hopes to resume its championship but is dependent on the authorities to imagine its recovery, has been trying for several weeks to establish scenarios.

Failing to be able to record a resumption date for the end of the 2019-2020 season, it is on that of the start of the following season that the LFP Bureau has reflected. The date of August 23 for Ligue 1, and that of August 22 for League 2, was unanimously agreed Friday morning during a meeting of more than three hours, according to several sources close to the file.

"This gives clear bases", justifies one of them, while insisting that these dates are "subject to the UEFA calendar and the development of the health situation".

"This helps secure the next season", that of the new cycle of TV rights (2020-2024), exceeding for the first time the billion euros annually, explains another source close to the matter.

In this scenario, even if the end of the current season is postponed until early August, as UEFA has recommended so far according to these same sources, this will leave "three weeks of re-athletics" between the two seasons.

For several days, certain presidents, like Bertrand Desplat (Guingamp), had insisted on the importance of fixing above all a date for the start of next season, so as to "privilege the contract of Mediapro", future broadcaster of the championship, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Canal + and beIN Sports, current broadcasters, have in fact frozen their payments for the moment.

© 2020 AFP