It was predictable, but at least the clubs are set now.
Meeting this Friday morning, the Executive Committee of the French Football Federation (FFF) has definitively stopped the National 2 and Women's D2 championships.
“Following the latest government announcements, the FFF Comex studied the possibility of a resumption as of May 3, but, due to a very limited schedule, with a large number of days to go, without no possibility of postponement, with incompressible and necessary training deadlines previously, it appears impossible to set up a satisfactory and reasonable resumption of these competitions. The FFF would like to recall that it had obtained from the government an exceptional visa to resume in February 2021 for these two competitions, but it had been suspended until now, ”announces the FFF in a press release.
As for the other championships, from the N3 to the districts, which had been stopped at the end of March, a white season without climbs or descents was decreed.
It remains to be seen now, what will happen to the level of the descents of National, since there will be no rise of N2.
"Our championship deserves respect"
Thursday, the Collective of Clubs of N2 had stepped up to the plate.
“These are the only sports competitions in France in all disciplines to suffer such a fate.
We will not go back over the various adventures and in particular on the failed act of last fall when these two national championships should have benefited from a derogation for the continuation of the competitions in the same way as the National 1 and the Women's Division 1 " , he continues.
“Six months have passed and the 64 clubs in National 2 are still living while awaiting a federal decision.
This wait-and-see context generates financial costs to be borne by the clubs by still maintaining training sessions, and this in an already critical economic context, it is also indicated in this press release.
The 1,500 players and all the technical staff are also having a hard time living this period without being able to project serenely into the future.
Our championship should not be an adjustment variable and deserves respect.
“Most clubs continued to train and pay their players, without partial unemployment, pending a final decision.
Things, at least, are now clear.
"The authorities have clearly led us by boat"
"This decision was predictable in view of the progress of the season and the number of games that remained to be played ... On the other hand, I very strongly regret the slowness of the instances: they clearly led us by boat and did not help us. considered at our fair value, believes Frédéric Pereira, president of Atletico Paris, who was in the race for the climb at the time of the stop. The National 2 championship should never have been interrupted, it should have continued in the same way as the National 1. ”
"Even if it was taken late, it is a logical decision", also considers Himed Hamma, the co-trainer of FC 93 Bobigny, who had played a late match in Haguenau (0-0), at the end of February , before the season is stopped again. “I think the Federation has done everything to try to resume and not to distort the competition in National, he continues. But the more time passed and with what was announced by the government, there was no longer a solution. At least now we know. It's always better to be fixed. We know it's over now, that will allow us to move forward and prepare for next season. Even if there, we are also in a blur when it comes to dates… ”
