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France manager Didier Deschamps has criticised the Bundesliga, Premier League and La Liga for returning to action amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bundesliga became Europe’s first major football league to resume on May 16 with matches to be played behind closed doors for the remainder of the season.
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The Premier League edged closer to a return after clubs agreed to resume contact training, while La Liga is set to restart on June 11.
“I don’t want to judge, to condemn, to blame,” Deschamps told Le Parisien. “The containment conditions are not the same for everyone.
“I have watched the Bundesliga since the resumption of matches in Germany. It certainly looks like football. I’m not going to talk about the pace or intensity of the matches, but some images seem so incoherent to me.
“I see players playing a game with all the elements specific to football: namely contact and tackles. And then, we see in the stands masked substitutes two metres away from each other.
“Honestly, I don’t understand. They are in the same enclosure, likely to come into play at any time. In the stands, is the risk increased? What an inconsistency. I do not like it.”
Deschamps was also critical of the decision to end women’s football in England and Spain. The Women’s Super League (WSL) was cancelled on Monday while Barcelona women were crowned champions after the season was cut due to the crisis.
“Life resumes with a lot of restrictions in all areas,” Deschamps added. “In football, the resumption of certain leagues obviously responds, first of all, to an economic problem.
“Look at the decisions made in Spain and England. These two major football countries are planning the resumption of La Liga and the Premier League, but they have decided not to resume the women’s championships, which generate much less revenue. That says everything.”
Lyon striker and inaugural Ballon d’Or Femenin winner Ada Hegerberg told ESPN women’s football will suffer because of the pandemic as it is often viewed as the sport’s “weakest link.”