France could resume play in June with pair of Cup finals

French football could resume its season in June with two cup finals, French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet proposed on Friday.

La Graet said that the French Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and St Etienne could be played on either June 13 or 20, followed by the League Cup final between PSG and Lyon three days later.

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He suggested it would be the appropriately symbolic way to restart professional football after its suspension last month because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It would offer a good image for both professional and amateur football,” La Graet told reporters after Friday’s meeting of the French professional league.

“The restart of the championship is still to be decided but we might change the calendar a bit to play the cup finals first.

“My proposition has not been contradicted so I consider that until someone says no to me, it is a yes.”

A restart for Ligue 1 had been provisionally set for June 17, but Le Graet conceded it would depend on government approval.

“The ministers hold the key to the restart but the will of the league and the clubs is to restart,” he added.

“We have to get everything in order to try and resume the season, which is a priority that was emphasised by the UEFA executive committee on Thursday.”

Also on Friday, the LFP board of directors echoed what La Graet said about a mid-June resumption of play and hope to have players back at training facilities by May 11, the scheduled date for the end of confinement in France.

Upon return, the LFP will have a medical protocol in place, including comprehensive testing, which it plans to have finalised by the end of April.