The ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 people will be extended until October 30, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Tuesday during a trip to Montpellier, while confirming that case-by-case exemptions may be decided by the authorities. prefects. It is this possibility that the LFP wishes to explore, backed by its protocol for welcoming the public which provides for "the wearing of a compulsory mask inside the stadium, respect for barrier gestures and distancing as well as hygiene devices. individual and collective ”. This document has been validated by the Interministerial Crisis Committee (CIC), she said.
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“I renew the wish to have as many people as possible in the stadiums,” said Didier Quillot in a statement sent to AFP. "The health protocol that has been validated by the CIC will allow the reception of the public in the stadiums, and the clubs to request exemptions from the prefects to exceed the tonnage of 5,000 people in strict compliance with this health protocol", t -he adds.
"Illogical"
While the new Ligue 1 season is due to start on August 21 and Ligue 2 on August 22, the LFP has also sent the clubs a "medical protocol for resuming the championships" for the players and their staff, established in conjunction with the French federation (FFF). "This protocol was sent to the CIC which will give its opinion this Friday", specifies Didier Quillot, who also announces the creation of a National Covid-19 Commission, composed of doctors, "to support the clubs and the LFP" and ensure "the link with the medical authorities and the public authorities".
"We are good soldiers, but sometimes we have trouble understanding"
Bernard CaiazzoThe maintenance of the maximum capacity of 5,000 spectators in the stadiums at the resumption of the championships, with possible exemptions, comes in a context of recrudescence of the Covid-19 which announces a difficult comeback for the French professional clubs. If football can count on the comfortable revenues of television rights, ticketing revenues take on increased importance after five months of forced hiatus.
"We continue to regret (this decision), it is estimated that a gauge of 5,000 compared to a stadium of 6,000 (places), it is not the same as a gauge of 5,000 in a stadium of 80,000", responded to AFP Bernard Caïazzo, president of the Premier League clubs union and president of the supervisory board of AS Saint-Etienne. “It seems totally illogical to us. Of course, there are possible exemptions from the prefect, but it would have been so much more logical to have a percentage of the stadium's capacity (...) We are good soldiers, but we sometimes have difficulty understanding ”, he added, recalling that these shortfalls in terms of ticketing represent "indisputable economic damage" for the clubs.
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