France's top two football divisions, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, will not resume their respective 2019/20 seasons after the country banned all sporting events until September due to the Covid-19 panidemic, on Tuesday.
Although French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced plans to relaxed lockdown measures from May 11, the football season will not continue despite prior plans to complete the season by July 25.
"The 2019-20 season of professional sports, including football, will not be able to resume," Philippe said in a TF1 broadcast announcing France's exit plan from lockdown.
"It will be possible, on sunny days, to practice an individual sporting activity outdoors, obviously respecting the rules of social distancing.
"It will not be possible, neither to practice sport in covered places, nor team or contact sports."
Football was suspended indefinitely in France on March 13 with Neymar's PSG 12 points clear at the top of the table and 10 rounds of games left to play.
In a press release on Tuesday, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) expressed the collective interest to "curb the epidemic" was paramount, though it's not yet known if they will abandon relegation and promotion or whether a champion will be crowned this season.
Also on rt.com 'It’s a real longing for football!' Neymar admits to experiencing 'anxiety' during enforced absence due to COVID-19"Following announcements by the President of the Republic in response to the health crisis linked to Covid-19, the LFP's Administrative Council unanimously decided on Friday 13 March to suspend the Ligue 1 Conforama and Domino's Ligue 2 championships immediately and until further notice," the statement read.
"As the President of the Republic stressed yesterday, the collective interest must be placed above all else. The urgency today is to curb the epidemic, protect the most vulnerable and avoid travel.
"At the end of the meeting scheduled by UEFA on 17 March, the LFP Board of Directors will meet once more."
France has been on of the worst-hit countries in the world by the coronavirus, having recorded 128,000 cases of Covid-19 infection and 23,293 confirmed deaths.