Stuart WoodNo official sport will be played in France until September, after the French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a ban on sporting events today, 28 April.
Phillipe also extended France’s ban on festivals from mid-July to September. The announcements came during an address at the National Assembly in Paris.
Several countries including Germany, Ireland, Belgium and Denmark have now banned festivals until September, which is looking increasingly like the cut off point for 2020.
The extended ban also rules out sports being played behind closed doors, and has ended France’s football season prematurely. The Ligue de Football Professional has yet to decide whether to void the season, or base the outcome on the current league table.
The French Ligue 1 is now the first of Europe’s major football leagues to cancel as a result of Covid-19. The Eredivisie, Netherlands’ top flight league, also cancelled its domestic campaign last week.
French football’s governing body had hoped to resume the season in June and finish it by July, but this will now not be possible. As things currently stand, reigning champions Paris St Germain are twelve points clear at the top.
Some sports in Europe are still hoping to continue during the summer months. Formula 1 boss Chase Carey said he plans to start the F1 season in Austria from 3-5 July.
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