May 28 – French football bosses have rejected the LFP’s proposal to expand Ligue 2 from 20 to 22 clubs for the 2020/21 season. As a result, Pau and Dunkerque will remain in the National, France’s third tier.
In May, the French governing body for professional football submitted a plan to expand the country’s second tier by two clubs, but the French FA (FFF) has shot down the expansion proposal. Orleans and Le Mans will be relegated from Ligue 2.
In the top flight, relegation and promotion were maintained and so the French FA’s decision didn’t come as a surprise. Football boss Noel Le Graet had previously expressed his preference to maintain promotions and relegations across the entire French pyramid.
“Two clubs will be relegated as normal at the end of the 2019/20 season,” said an FFF statement. “Ligue 2 will be composed of 20 clubs for the 2020-2021 season.”
In March, French football came to a standstill as the coronavirus spread across Europe. Last month, French authorities ruled that football couldn’t return until September, not even behind closed doors.
Paris Saint-Germain were crowned champions for the third year in a row, with ten match days left. Amiens, relegated, have however launched legal action in a bid to overturn the decision.
“Amiens are still fighting against this decision which we find unfair, incoherent and unfounded,” said Amiens president Bernard Joannin. “The LFP board of directors has pronounced an arbitrary relegation of our club.”
Lyon and their powerful president Jean Michel Aulas have called on the French prime minister to reconsider the termination of the season.
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