The French club look set to miss out on European football for the first time in 23 years after the 2019-20 campaign was ended due to Covid-19 outbreak.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas says the club have been “robbed” of the chance to play for European football and says the decision of Ligue 1 to end the season early and award final placings on a points-per-game basis is unfair.
After the announcement by French prime minister Edouard Philippe that no football could take place before September, the league governing body (LFP) confirmed on Thursday that the season was over and that the championship and European places would be awarded via points per game.
Lyon lays seventh, outside of the European places, meaning they look set to miss out on continental football for the first time since 1997. They only way they can qualify is if the Coupe de la Ligue resumes – they face PSG in the final – or the Champions League starts again, with OL trailing Barcelona 1-0 after the first leg of their aborted last-16 tie.
Speaking to French newspaper Le Progres, Aulas said, “This is robbing us of an opportunity that is very significant, of high value. We are going to claim damages, that are worth several dozen million Euros.
“Noel Le Graet has to face the consequences as president of the FFF. His management here was poor. There were poorly thought-out decisions,” he added.
Source: goal.com