According to several sources contacted by Europe 1, the French Football Federation will decide on Wednesday afternoon, on the occasion of its executive committee (Comex), on the end of the amateur championships.

"We are going to make a decision," a source familiar with the matter confirmed on Tuesday at Europe 1.

They pushed back the deadline as long as possible, but the time has finally come to decide.

While the restart of amateur competitions was scheduled for the weekend of April 17-18, the French Football Federation (FFF) is in the process, according to information from Europe 1, to decide on the occasion of its committee executive meeting on Wednesday afternoon, with a possible final stop.

"We are going to make a decision," confirms a source familiar with the matter.

The end of the competitions is desired by a vast majority of League presidents that Europe 1 has been able to reach. 

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"Mourning this season"

"If we were to resume from mid-April as planned, respecting a period of re-athletic training and training, the first matches would be played at best at the end of May," said Didier Esor, president of the League of Pays de la Loire.

"We can see, anyway, that the amateur championships with people who play on weekends cannot resume. It's obvious. We don't have time. You have to imagine that we have championships where teams have only played one game this season. We won't even be able to finish the first leg. "

The observation of Saïd Ennjimi, former international referee now at the head of the Ligue Nouvelle-Aquitaine, is similar.

"We must mourn this season, we wait for it to end," he analyzes for Europe 1 with fatality.

"And we must be able to return to the fields, to the clubs, by the end of May, because the licenses are taken from June 1 to mid-July."

More than 10% fewer licensees at the FFF

Licenses are one of the sinews of war at the FFF.

The erosion of the number of football fans continues.

From -6.5% in November 2020, the drop in redundancies fell to -10.5% during the last census in March.

"There is concern, there is erosion, especially among young people, those under 18 and under 19," laments Saïd Ennjimi.

He also lost in his league about 10% of licensees.

"Of course there is a danger. There has already been a noticeable change in behavior. Some people may want, after two years, to stop playing again, to meet up with colleagues, but we do not do not know how people will react ", continues Didier Esor.

The president of the Pays de la Loire League has also seen the number of its licensees fall by 10%.

"It's normal to be worried. Among the seniors, the young people, they got used to doing something else, they have a family life which has been able to evolve in two years. Will we find them on the field? "Nothing is less certain. And then we must also mention the leaders, for the most part volunteers. Will they be as keen to come back and accompany our young people on the ground? We hope so, because they are essential. "

The FFF provides 10 million euros in equipment aid

The French Football Federation, which has analyzed its accounts, has planned to help amateur clubs by providing them with equipment during the next school year with an envelope estimated at 10 million euros.

On the other hand, there should not be, as was the case last year during the first stoppage of competition, aid of 30 million euros.

The Federation and the Leagues seem to be moving towards aid on a case-by-case basis.