"It would be reasonable" that the Professional Football League (LFP), meeting this Thursday, act the definitive suspension of the 2019-2020 season, judges the Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu, regretting the lack of "empathy" of professional football in the coronavirus crisis.
“The signal that the Prime Minister sent was clear, simple. We expect sports bodies to take responsibility as we do, ”insists Maracineanu on RTL.
Edouard Philippe had indicated this Tuesday in front of the deputies that "the 2019-2020 season of professional sports will not be able to resume", the Minister for Sports then leaving open the possibility of organizing matches behind closed doors in August. A breach in which was engulfed in particular Jean-Michel Aulas, the president of Lyon who had proposed to find "an alternative" to play the end of the season.
"We have to make a decision," said Roxana Maracineanu again on Thursday. "Resuming in August would go against what the Prime Minister and the government proposed, and even the president of the Federation who, I remind you, is the boss of French football".
Noël Le Graët has indeed indicated in the wake of government announcements that he considers the season "over", with the "Telegram", a decision that the League must act on the board of directors. "It is Mr. Le Graët who has the hand. He ruled on stopping this season. I think it would be reasonable for the League to go in this direction too, "adds the Minister of Sports.
"We didn't take it the right way"
Before making barely veiled criticism of professional football players, who animated the last weeks of their media picks and other interested proposals.
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“At each level, everyone must be united. In professional sport, this is not what we knew from the start. We have known TV broadcasters who said No, we will not give the money owed on games already played , we have known club leaders who each saw their own interest outside their door and we saw players who didn’t did not seem to care too much about their business, of all the people who work around so that the sport lives and survives ”, insists Roxana Maracineanu. “You need empathy, that you look next to yourself. We didn't take it the right way in professional football. ”