Paris Saint-Germain will reportedly be handed the Ligue 1 title despite the 2019/20 season coming to a premature end.
Football in France is off for the foreseeable future following the prime minister’s announcement that ‘big sporting affairs cannot occur before September’ earlier this week.
Les Parisiens have a 12-point lead and a game in hand on second-placed Marseille, so were likely to win the league had the season carried on as normal.
But L’Equipe journalist Domenighetti Joel claims that they will be crowned champions on a points-per-game basis.
It would effectively keep the Ligue 1 table as it was with play being halted following matches on March 8.
Every team in the division has played 28 games, apart from PSG and Stasbourg, who have played 27.
The new standings would see Strasbourg moved from eleventh to tenth if their ratio of 1.4 points-per-game is applied to their game in hand.
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Marseille and Rennes would maintain their qualification to the Champions League, while Lille and Reims would reach the Europa League.
The new standings would see Amiens and Toulouse relegated, while FC Lorient and RC Lens would be promoted from Ligue 2.
However, third-bottom Nimes could escape the drop as it’s unlikely a Ligue 2 play-off will be arranged.
The report doesn’t fall into line with the Dutch Eredivisie as the 2019/20 season has been declared null and void, meaning there will be no champions and no relegation.
But it heavily falls in line with UEFA’s request to decide qualification spots ‘on sporting merit’.
This could be a big boost for Premier League leaders Liverpool, who are 25 points clear at the top of the table.
Jamie O’Hara believes the only way forward is to end the season immediately
There are hopes football in England can resume in June but it’s hard to say if this will happen as coronavirus is a constantly evolving issue.
In Germany, sides are already back at work but await government approval with an update from chancellor Angela Merkel expected on Thursday.
