Paris (AFP)

Ligue 1 footballers can dream of a resumption at the end of August in stadiums populated by more than 5,000 spectators, but not the finalists of the French Cup at the end of July, to the dismay of Noël Le Graët who tries to change the position of the government.

Closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sports arenas will reopen to the public on July 11 with a maximum number of 5,000 spectators, Matignon announced on the night of Friday to Saturday, with health indicators "generally well oriented".

This "maximum tonnage of 5,000 people" will in principle remain in force until September 1. But "a new examination of the national epidemiological situation will be carried out in mid-July to decide if a relaxation is possible for the second part of August", according to Matignon.

In fact, this new development can give hope to the Professional Football League (LFP), organizer of the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships, the curtain raising of which is expected on the weekend of August 23.

Solicited by AFP on Saturday, the League did not wish to react to the government announcements, referring to the working hypotheses that it transmitted at the beginning of the week to the authorities.

In this "specification", the body headed by Nathalie Boy de la Tour and Didier Quillot expects spectators to return "100%" to the stadiums while respecting a specific health protocol or, failing that, filling "up to 30 to 40%" of the stadium capacity while respecting physical distance.

- The Graët persists -

Reasoning as a percentage, and not in absolute value, responds to a wish expressed by the National Support Authority (INS), a dialogue body bringing together supporters, football authorities and representatives of the State.

"A percentage of the total capacity of the enclosure indeed seems more suitable insofar as a fixed gauge will not have the same impact depending on the initial capacity of the infrastructure," summarized a report from the INS, the fruit of '' a consultation with groups of supporters and handed over on June 8 to the Ministry of Sports.

If this logic should be able to apply to the kick-off of the L1, this should not be the case for the final of the Coupe de France between Paris SG and Saint-Etienne, scheduled for late July in the immense Stade de France (80,000 places).

Organizer of the competition, the president of the French football federation Noël Le Graët refuses for the time being to envisage a final in front of only 5,000 people maximum, despite the government's clear doctrine.

The announcements of the executive allow "to envisage an opening sooner wider reception of the spectators concerning the final of the Cup of France men at the end of July", affirmed Saturday in a statement the boss of French football.

- Fussy protocol -

The final of the Coupe de France, initially scheduled for April 25, should be played on July 24. That of the League Cup between Paris and Lyon, this time organized by the LFP, could take place on July 31.

The dates will be formalized next week, after the holding of general assemblies Tuesday at the League and Friday at the Federation.

Beyond the threshold chosen for these competitions, as well as for the semi-finals and the final of the Women's French Cup in early August (Lyon, Paris, Bordeaux and Guingamp are still in the running), the various players in the game will have to put together a protocol to return to the meticulous stage.

"Questions relating to the conditions for carrying out palpations, the maintenance of the wearing of the mask throughout the meeting, access via public transport, queues and overcrowding at entrances, sanitary facilities, in passageways, in grandstands or refreshments are real challenges ", summarizes the INS report.

In a month, the final of the Coupe de France will serve as a life-size test. With 5,000 spectators ... or even more if Le Graët succeeds.

© 2020 AFP