Macron wants European football leagues to be suspended: Report

Paris, April 30 (IANS) France President Emmanuel Macron wants football leagues across the continent to be suspended in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, according to media reports. This report comes just days after French authorities called off Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus.According to a report published in French outlet Le Parisien, Macron wants England, Germany, Italy and Spain to follow his lead by not allowing any professional to return for the 2019-20 campaign. France Prime Minister Edouard Philippe earlier told the country's national assembly that "the 2019-20 season of professional sports, including football, will not be able to resume" before September."It will be possible, on sunny days, to practice an individual sporting activity outdoors, obviously respecting the rules of social distancing. It will not be possible, neither to practice sport in covered places, nor team or contact sports," he said. France became the third European nation after Netherlands and Belgium to suspend their football season due to the pandemic. As for Premier League, Serie A and LaLiga, the football associations have respective plans in place to resume individual training in early May and team training mid-May onwards. There are also talks of hosting matches behind closed doors in June.
--IANS bbh/