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PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN have been awarded the Ligue 1 title after the season was ended amid the coronavirus pandemic.
PSG, who have now won their seventh French title in the last eight years, held a 12-point lead over second-placed Marseille when the season was suspended in March.
The French Professional Football League (LFP) ratified the decision at a meeting yesterday, two days after French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe suspended sport in the country until at least September.
A points-per-game system, taking into account the performance of clubs in the matches already played, was used to determine the final standings in the Ligue 1 table.
Marseille have qualified directly for the Champions League while third-place Rennes will enter the qualifying rounds, with Toulouse and Amiens relegated.
The LFP have also crowned Lorient, who led Lens by just one point, as Ligue 2 champions with both clubs earning promotion.
“There might be appeals but our decisions are solid,” Didier Quillot, the chief executive of the French League, said.
As the third-tier Championnat National is under French Football Federation (FFF) jurisdiction, they will decide the fate of the promoted teams in that competition with the LFP, as two must come down.
Orleans are seven points adrift at the bottom but 18th-placed Niort and 19th-placed Le Mans are both on 26 points.
The LFP also confirmed their intention to begin the 2020/21 Ligue 1 and 2 seasons on the weekend of August 22-23 at the latest.
The Eredivisie in Netherlands also opted to bring their season to a premature conclusion last week, without champions or relegation, while on Monday Belgian clubs postponed a vote on confirming the cancellation of their top flight until next week.
A club statement read: “This 9th league championship title in the club’s history is dedicated by Paris Saint-Germain to all healthcare staff and to the thousands of front-line professionals working every day to keep the country running.”
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Paris Saint-Germain Chairman and CEO, added: “I would like to thank the players, the coach, the technical and medical staff as well as all the club’s employees for their tremendous work. This trophy is a reward for their hard work every day.
“In these difficult times, I hope that this trophy will bring a little happiness and hope to all our supporters, and I am grateful to them for their unwavering support which helps drive Paris Saint-Germain forward.” —SkySport
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