French Players Set To Go On Strike Over Ligue 1 Expansion Problem

Former Toulouse manager Antoine Kombouare has called on players to go on strike next season if Ligue 1 is not expanded to 22 clubs.

The French top division abandoned the 2019-20 season and declared PSG champions and bottom two Amiens and Toulouse relegated.

This has drawn criticism across France and some clubs, including Amiens and Lyon, have threatened legal action.

According to Goal, Kombouare has gone a step further, and called for players to take direct action and refuse to play in 2020-21 unless Amiens and Toulouse are reprieved from relegation.

“The players and coaches must agree to strike at the start of next season if that does not happen,” he told L’Equipe.

“There will be layoffs. Even at the amateur level, it will hurt. Having players end their careers in this way is terribly unfair, and I have always hated injustice. Amid this suffering and concern born of this crisis, we must unite. We are not united enough. It makes me angry.”

Amiens were in with a better shot at survival, just four points behind Nimes in 18th, however both have gone down and will be replaced by Lorient and Lens from Ligue 2 next season.

Kombouare says he would feel the same way if any other team had been relegated.
Amiens have already confirmed they will fight the decision to relegate them to the second tier of French football, and have started an online petition to get support from fans and show there is a desire to restart the 2019-20 Ligue 1 campaign.

A statement published by Amiens said: “This decision is for our club, all our players, coaches, administrators, volunteers and supporters extremely fraught with consequences.

“Pending the publication of the minutes of the board of directors’ meeting, Amiens reserve the right to contest this decision, since sporting merit, in this particularly difficult period for all, should, on the contrary, have led the various decision-making bodies not to pronounce any relegation.”