Lyon President Still Hopes Ligue 1 End With Play-offs

Lyon (Twitter @OL_English)

JAKARTA - Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas hopes the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season ends with a play-off in July or August even though prime minister Edouard Philippe effectively ended the season on Tuesday.

In a speech to the National Assembly, Philippe said no major sporting events would be allowed before September and insisted the 2019-20 professional football season would not continue.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) meets on Thursday local time with the aim of deciding how the season will end, with uncertainty over the title, European spots and relegation and promotion spots in the top two tier.

Aulas still hopes a gap or compromise can be found to allow the end of the sport for this season. He suggested a play-off at the end of the standings as UEFA previously urged the league to finish the 2019-20 season in early August.

"I read carefully what UEFA said, they want us to continue the end of the competition, even if we may have to play in a reduced format and in August," Aulas, whose side finished seventh in Ligue 1 before being suspended, was quoted as saying for L'Equipe.

"So I think there is an alternative way that will round out the end of this championship with a series of play-offs for the top teams and for the bottom teams which will take place in August, maybe even in July in a stadium without spectators.

"Do not rush. I told myself that, perhaps, within the proposed rules, there is still room to finish the championship."

France has confirmed nearly 166,000 cases of COVID-19 and 23,660 deaths, with only the United States, Spain and Italy recording more deaths.