June 4 – Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas (pictured), who has been at the forefront of opposition to scrapping the rest of the French season, has stepped up his efforts to have the campaign re-instated despite a government mandate to ban all top sport until September.
France is the only one of the so-called Big Five footballing nations to terminate the season early because of Covid-19 and Aulas was going to court today to try and get the decision over-ruled.
Aulas says he has had talks with the European Clubs Association and that “the procedure proposed by UEFA is the one that we can follow today: return to training now and play the matches in 3 or 4 weeks.”
Legal experts believe that Aulas’ fight has very little chance of succeeding but he is threatening to sue the French state for €800 million of potential financial damage should the decision go against his club .
Lyon were seventh when the government put an end to the football season on April 28 and thus failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
Aulas says the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs should be entitled to benefit from total tax exemptions. “Football … like travel agencies or event companies, should be able to benefit from this measure,” he said.
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