Jean-Michel Larqué, former player for AS Saint-Étienne and Paris Saint-Germain, who earned 14 caps for the French national team, now works as a pundit on RMC Sport. On Thursday evening, he was asked to give his opinion on the “affair” of the postponement of the match between Lens and PSG, part of the 29th round of Ligue 1, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 11, between PSG’s two Champions League quarter-final matches against Liverpool. He didn’t mince words.
Larqué declared, “The leaders of French football, and especially those at the LFP, are the gravediggers of football.”
In this situation, we understand the anger of the Lens fans, and we understand the demands of the Parisians. What we don’t understand is that the leaders of French football, and especially those at the LFP, are the gravediggers of football. Do you realize that between the penultimate matchday and the final matchday, when all the matches are normally scheduled to take place, there’s a match from the 28th matchday that will be played? So, the penultimate matchday won’t actually be the penultimate matchday anymore.
Larqué: “They’re flouting their own rules.”
They’re flouting their own rules. Don’t deal with these people; they have no morals or principles. They could have even saved money, because they have as much money as toads have feathers. They’re penniless. We could have saved on travel and food expenses. They consider Ligue 1 a garbage dump.
In recent days, the idea has been clear: attack the LFP, the villain who is ruining French football to help PSG in Europe. It should be emphasized that club performances in European competitions are important, and Strasbourg achieved the same result with their Europa League quarter-final match against Brest.
Some have pointed out that the four highest-ranked countries in the UEFA coefficient (England, Germany, Spain, and Italy) do not postpone matches, while lower-ranked countries do, such as Portugal, 6th just behind France. But, precisely, these four countries are well-established and have a head start. France must compete with a strong Portugal and work hard to hope to reach 4th place one day. This would be a huge boost for French football, which must at least defend its 5th place to avoid losing European qualification.
This is essential for the image of French football and of His income. The LFP took that into account. Of course, it was also possible to refuse the postponement, which seems a bit unfair to Lens. There’s the concern about having these matches between the last two matchdays. That’s understandable too. It was a complex issue, with arguments on both sides. It’s a shame to go to extremes on one side, without any restraint. And perhaps Ligue 1 will have a fantastic final before the last matchday, a standalone game that everyone can follow.
