Noël Le Graët is a happy president. The boss of the French Football Federation relishes the qualification of PSG and Lyon in the semi-finals of the Champions League. A first in the history of the French round ball. How did you experience this double qualification of French clubs for the C1 semi-finals?
NOËL LE GRAËT. I am really happy. The two teams played very high level matches. Lyon have been exceptional against City and the PSG players have shown that they have rock-solid physical condition and morale. It is very deserved for our two clubs. I am very proud of them.
Does it cringe the idea that club football in France was lagging behind the rest of Europe?
It does us good. It shows that you have to be passionate about these competitions. Both PSG and OL did exactly what was needed with exemplary preparation. This shows that qualifying for the European Cup is not an end in itself. There are competitions that should not be overlooked like the Europa League. This is also a very good thing for our UEFA index. These results will make us jump in the standings.
Is there a form of revenge when both Paris and OL criticized the decision to stop competing due to the Covid pandemic?
No. We can't say that they were all happy not to play (smiles) but it is clear that they prepared themselves very well. PSG and OL have taken advantage of the rest and have put in place an exemplary second cycle of physical preparation. And as mentally and technically, they have nothing to envy anyone, it went very well.
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Does that give you reason to have decided to stop competing?
I still think that we made the right decision between illness, and the fact that we had to protect ourselves from it, and money. I made a very clear choice in favor of protection against the coronavirus.
Do you feel they are capable of winning the Champions League?
Few would have bet on Lyon's victory on Saturday night. The victory of PSG is perhaps a less big surprise. But I found both teams up to the task, very well organized. We can imagine that they will prepare well for their semi-finals so who knows ...
With the success of the Blues, is it confirmation that French football is in good shape?
We can always do better, but two French clubs in the semi-finals is unheard of. The national teams are doing well, the women are in the top 5 in the world. We're not doing too badly overall, are we?