At the end of December, the Première Ligue Arkéma was marked by a peculiar episode. Following a complaint from Fleury, Paris Saint-Germain was penalized with a three-match forfeit penalty (despite having won on the pitch) due to irregularities in Florianne Jourde’s license. Specifically, she lacked an international transfer certificate, despite having played in Canada. This was subsequently rectified, but too late. Yannick Chandioux, Montpellier’s coach, defended PSG in a press conference before facing Strasbourg.
Chandioux stated, “They should sanction themselves.”
“The Federation grants licenses. PSG may have made a mistake, but the FFF made an even bigger one by validating a license that wasn’t valid.
I’m waiting to see what happens next. It seems likely that Paris will take further action, and I don’t see how the club couldn’t win its case.” The FFF validates an invalid license, then sanctions the club for its own mistake; it should sanction itself. We’re giving points to our opponents, and we’re all suffering the consequences. It bothers me.
PSG can appreciate this support, which makes sense. There was a mistake by the club, but also by the FFF. It’s unfair that Paris is being sanctioned when the Federation didn’t do its job properly either. It’s an administrative error on both sides, and only one, which rectified the blunder quickly, is being punished.
Perhaps this will allow Paris to obtain a change by appealing. We expect PSG to fight this to the end, especially since the 9 lost points are devastating. This also gives points to rivals, including Montpellier, which also contributes to this outburst. But above all, it demonstrates a certain common sense.
