Olympique Lyonnais called in a statement Sunday to "back off" in the shutdown of Ligue 1, to "avoid the French championship a huge rout". "How can we guarantee that all French clubs will be able to finish the year without going bankrupt? (...) How can we fight with our foreign competitors who, for the vast majority, have chosen carefully to wait to relaunch their championship? How to avoid the gap is still widening between French football and all the other big European countries? ", we can read in this press release.
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Lyonnais President Jean-Michel Aulas has been campaigning for several weeks against the decision of French football leaders to stop the season, in the name of the health risks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ligue 1 is the only major men's championship to have decided not to resume. The German Bundesliga is scheduled to resume on May 16, while the English Premier League and Spanish Liga plan to resume on an unknown date. Italian Serie A is more uncertain.
"Avoid a huge rout"
"There is time, until May 25, to back off and avoid the French championship a huge rout," says OL, highlighting the economic losses that would weaken French clubs and their lack of competitiveness compared to the other European teams. For its detractors, Lyon seeks above all a qualification for the European Cup which it is deprived of by stopping the championship.