No change of tone on the side of the "Fed". True to the principles of its president Noël Le Graët, the French Football Federation (FFF) rejected, Wednesday, May 27, the enlargement of Ligue 2 to 22 teams, thus disavowing professional clubs, and relegating Le Mans and Orleans to National 1.

FFF PRESS RELEASE pic.twitter.com/F1MueaBWKD

- FFF (@FFF) May 27, 2020

Supporter assumed of the maintenance of promotions and relegations on all stages of football, amateur as professional, Le Graët convinced the executive committee of the FFF to go against this reform, voted a week earlier by a small majority (57% of the votes) by the general assembly of the Professional Football League (LFP).

Even if this assembly brings together all the French professional clubs, as well as representatives of all the families of football, it is indeed the "Comex" of the FFF, made up of a dozen leaders of clubs, regional leagues and districts under the aegis of the Federation boss, who has the ultimate decision-making power.

He is in fact authorized, according to his general regulations as well as the convention binding the League to the Federation, to take up "all decisions except in disciplinary matters", "to possibly reform them, as soon as he judges them contrary to the 'best interests of football or the statutes and regulations ". And this, even if this same convention authorizes an L2 with up to "twenty-two clubs at most".           

"Unfair and cruel" for Le Mans and Orléans

"The two regulatory descents planned for the 2019-2020 season are maintained and the Ligue 2 championship will remain at 20 clubs for the 2020-2021 season," said the FFF in a final statement.

This power of "evocation" risks signing the end of hopes for Le Mans and Orleans, respectively 19th and 20th in the second division when the championship was stopped early due to a pandemic and which appeared as the big winners of the reform. initially approved by clubs. Pau and Dunkirk, at the head of National 1, are, for their part, well and truly promoted in Ligue 2.

In a joint press release, the Le Mans and Orleans clubs announced that they had taken note of this rejection, saying they were "disappointed" with an "unjust and cruel decision".

If the enlargement to 22 teams had been validated, these two teams would have been an exception in French football, being the only relegation in their division not to experience a descent to the lower level in France.

Pandora's box

And this had not escaped the disappointment of other modalities for stopping the championships, like Toulouse or Lyon in L1.

The President of Toulouse, Olivier Sadran, had thus raised the existence of "two different rules", in remarks reported by the daily L'Équipe. And his Lyonnais counterpart, Jean-Michel Aulas, raised "a problem of equity" giving "a lot of arguments" in favor of the legal appeals filed by OL. Many amateur clubs have also filed appeals to challenge their relegations.

The FFF, by its decision, seems to reduce the legal room for maneuver of these disgruntled clubs. But it may sound the start of other procedures, if Le Mans or Orleans come to challenge their relegation in court.

"We will now meet with our advisers to consider the follow-up to be given to this decision," said the two clubs.

On the other hand, the question of possible barrages between the L2 and the National 1, claimed by the club of Boulogne-sur-Mer, 3rd of third division, was not mentioned by the FFF. The League (LFP) has not ruled on this either, even if the play-offs and play-offs between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 have been canceled. Which perhaps heralds other remedies.

With AFP

The France 24 week summary invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_FR