Champions league return date confirmed. The matches will be played behind closed doors according to a participating club’s president.
The UEFA have been tirelessly working alongside football associations across Europe to bring the Champions League back. The campaign was bought to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic. However, it seems, that a return date is on the cards.
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While a few Football leagues, across the continent, including France, have called off their season, one of their member club’s president, has come out and confirmed, that the continental tournament will go on as was originally planned.
Champions league return date confirmed
Due to the aforementioned cancelling of the French league, and the uncertainty surrounding the other domestic leagues in Europe, the future of the Champions League is far from clear. However, the Lyon Chief is convinced, that a return is imminent and has even gone on to give out the date.
Lyon President, Jean-Michel Aulas told RTL (Via the Mirror):
“Our match against Juventus has been confirmed for August 7, it will be held in Turin behind closed doors.
“If our legal actions don’t succeed (to restart the 19/20 Ligue 1 season), Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain will be massacred by teams who have had preparation.”
Going back to the French League, the cancellation of the season saw Lyon miss out on Europe next season despite there being 11 more games to play. Lyon, who were one point shy of 6th place have threatened legal action towards the decision by the Ligue de Football Professionnel.
Lyon threaten legal action
In a statement on Lyon’s website, a club official said:
“Olympique Lyonnais has taken note of the decision proposed by the Office of the Professional Football League and endorsed this afternoon then by its Board of Directors, to end the 2019/20 season of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, based on the remarks made by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe during his speech at the National Assembly on the conditions of deconfinement.
“This government position did not seem to impose in a prohibitive way such a final stop today from Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, the Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu having previously indicated the possibility of playing in August if the evolution of the health situation allowed it.
“Olympique Lyonnais then proposed as early as Tuesday that the League study an alternative solution which would allow the Championship to be ended and thus preserve the fairness inherent in any sporting competition and to be in line with UEFA’s proposals based on sporting merit according to objective, transparent and non-discriminatory principles.
“This solution shared by other clubs was based on the principle of play-offs and play-downs, a title of champion acquired by PSG, with a calendar limited to 3 weeks consistent with health constraints, and an innovative formula which normally could have interested broadcasters, currently lacking content, as well as sports betting and all other economic players in the football industry.
“This solution made it possible very precisely to meet UEFA’s wish to go after national competitions.
“Given the judgment of the French Ligue 1 Championship, decreed today by the League, Olympique Lyonnais reserves the right to appeal against this decision and claim damages, in particular under the loss of chance and in light of the jurisprudence of other professional sports which are currently in progress, since the damage for the club amounts to several tens of millions of euros.
“Olympique Lyonnais sincerely congratulates the champions, PSG for Ligue 1 and Lorient for Ligue 2, who were proclaimed today and hopes that OL Feminin can quickly have the same consecration.”
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