Ligue 1: OM president Pablo Longoria in favor of a return to 18 clubs

He too is for it.

The president of Olympique de Marseille Pablo Longoria said Wednesday he was in favor of a French championship with 18 clubs, a track claimed from the Professional Football League (LFP) according to our information.

The Spanish leader felt that it was necessary to “respect the most important players” in football, that is to say the players.

“I believe that the future lies in reducing the number of teams in the championships.

It will make them more attractive.

A Ligue 1 to 18, that can be rather interesting to reduce the number of matches and seek to improve competitiveness ”, declared Longoria during a press conference organized at the Stade Vélodrome.

"The players are in difficulty"

“We have to think about the future of football.

We play a lot of games and the players are the most important players.

You saw the Champions League semi-final yesterday, you saw the last matches in the championships.

The players are in trouble.

This season we had periods with three international matches in one week, the other championships had played until August.

We must respect the actors, ”explained the Spanish leader.

READ ALSO>

Bordeaux dropped by its shareholder: should we be worried about the rest of Ligue 1?

“I think in recent years the most interesting championship has been the Bundesliga at 18. It's more open, more attractive.

I believe that it will be the natural tendency in the championships of the European Top 5, except in England where they do not speak about that ”, again declared the president of the OM, who also estimated that another“ tendency ”would be "The reduction in the number of players in the workforce".

This measure, which the LFP is considering, would make it possible to distribute the TV rights, still not allocated for the next season, between fewer elite clubs.

It could take effect from the 2022-2023 season.