By Mark Baber
July 23 – The plan of French League (LFP) president Frederic Thiriez (pictured) to protect investors in Ligue 1 clubs by reducing the number of relegation and promotion places between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to two up and two down hit a major obstacle today as the France Football Federation (FFF) annulled the move in its Executive Committee meeting.
On July 9 Thiriez won the support of the Board of the LFP to implement the 2 up 2 down proposal – and 19 of the 20 Ligue 1 clubs gave it their backing ahead of today’s FFF meeting.
Whilst ignoring the fierce objections of the Ligue 2 clubs and the professional teams in the National,who he is supposed to represent, Thiriez upped the ante in advance of today’s decision, warning the FFF they “would be wrong to declare war on us” by striking down his “reform”.
According to Thiriez, the French Federation would only be able to annul the plan “in two cases: if the LFP has done something illegal or its decision is contrary to the interests of French football.
“Neither of those conditions has been met. No illegality was committed with regard to Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. As far as the greater interest of football is concerned, I don’t see how that could be threatened.”
Thiriez added: “To annul the League’s decision would be a first and an intolerable attack on its autonomy, which was fought for and won 75 years ago. It’s most certainly not on my watch that we’ll put professional football back under the tutelage of the Federation.”
Having been lobbied by a delegation from Ligue 2 earlier in the week, and apparently with the support of the majority of football supporters, the FFF has clearly decided to act precisely in the greater interest of football in France, maintaining a system of relegation and promotion which has been in place since 1933.
It appears unlikely Thiriez will willingly admit defeat (much less resign the presidency he has held since 2002) and his immediate response to the FFF decision will be to take the matter to France’s State Council, a move for which he has the apparent support of 19 of the 20 Ligue 1 clubs.
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