French club, Amiens have launched a petition asking that France’s Professional Football League (LFP) review its decision to relegate the club, following the early finish of the Ligue 1 season.
Amiens was relegated from Ligue 1 on April 30 following the French government’s announcement to put all major sport on hold until September.
Toulouse was the other club relegated.
Amiens was in 19th place on the 20-team Ligue 1 table, four points behind 18-placed Nimes, with 10 games left to play before the season was suspended in March.
The team known as Les Licornes (The Unicorns) said the fairest choice would be to expand Ligue 1 and make it a 22-team division for the 2020-21 season, rather than relegating any club.
The club called on its supporters and “all fans of football” to support the initiative, which it said would be good for football and sport in general.
“Faced with this decision fraught with consequences that goes against sporting fairness, Amiens SC asks the Professional Football League to review its position and make the fairest choice: A Ligue 1 with 22 clubs for next season,” Amiens said in a statement with their petition.
The LFP crowned Lorient as Ligue 2 champions. Both Lorient and Lens, who were one point behind, earned promotion.
Ligue 1 was the first of Europe’s top-five divisions to end their domestic league season early amid the pandemic, with seventh-placed Lyon – who subsequently missed out on a European place – threatening legal action.
The Eredivisie in Netherlands opted to bring their season to an early conclusion last month, without champions or relegation.
