Ligue 1 Is Cancelled Due To Fears Of Coronavirus, French Soccer Won’t Return Until September

France’s Ligue 1 has become the first of the major five European soccer leagues to be cancelled following French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s announcement on Tuesday that all major public events will be prohibited until September. “The 2019-2020 season of professional sports, especially football, cannot resume,” said Philippe.

In a speech Philippe outlined plans to slowly lift the nationwide lockdown as infection rates in France have fallen daily over the last two weeks. On May 11th, shops and markets will be allowed to reopen across France, but restaurants and bars will have to remain shut. The death toll stands at 23,293, according to the latest data of the Johns Hopkins University. 

He announced that there will be no professional sporting events in the country until September, effectively meaning the French league season is cancelled. He said: “I would like to point out that major sporting and cultural events, in particular festivals, major trade fairs, all events which bring together more than 5,000 participants, are subject to declaration at the mayor and which must be organized well in advance, cannot be held before September.” 

On March 13th, French soccer was paused following French president Emmanuel Macron’s decision to impose a nationwide lockdown to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus. When Macron extended the lockdown until May 11th, the French FA decreed that amateur soccer, including in the women’s game and in futsal, had to be abandoned this season. 

The game’s shutdown plunged French football into crisis as both Canal+ and BeIN Sports threatened to hold back TV rights payments of a combined €152 million. Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada wrote to the Ligue de Football Professionnel that it was “not conceivable that we would pay future installments while, even if its due to the suspension of the Ligue 1 championship, no match can be played and, by extension, distributed on our channels.” 

French soccer administrators had envisaged a restart in the summer, but Phillipe dashed those hopes. Soccer won’t return until after August, not even behind closed doors. 

It is unclear now what will happen to Ligue 1’s final rankings. Previously, the French FA wrote that champions, relegated and promoted clubs will be determined by their points in league tables as of March 13, with the notable exception of the third division and the women’s topflight. In the ‘National 1’ stakes are high as promotion entails ascension to professional soccer. 

European governing body UEFA has said that it wants European entrants decided on sporting merit where possible, but also acknowledged that leagues may be forced to consider canceling their 2019-20 seasons due to financial pressures or directives from governments. As it stands, Paris Saint-Germain is top of the Ligue 1 table with 68 points from 27 matches played.