France coach wants fewer teams in Ligue 1 or cup competition to be scrapped
France national team coach Laurent Blanc has hit out at the number of games his French-based players must participate in and has called for fewer teams in the French top flight or the national cup competition to be abolished.
Blanc claims that the clubs at the top end of the French league system were responsible for the majority of the players who make up the international squad, but that they were also the sides who had to play the most games due to their participation in the
UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
As a result — with any adjustments to the European competitions out of the question — he has called for a reduction in the number of teams in Ligue 1 or an end to the Coupe de la Ligue, claiming that if the players had fewer fixtures to play, they would
be feeling much fresher for international duty.
'Calendar is crowded for top clubs'
He told French publication L’Equipe on Wednesday, 27 October, that: “In France, the calendar is crowded for the five clubs competing in Europe, but not for others. But as these are the clubs who also provide 80 per cent of internationals, there is indeed
a burden for some players. So be very careful. These are the players who then have to make a good show during the European Championships or World Cup.
“There is no one answer to rebalance things. Given the growing importance of the Champions League, only the national competitions can help free up dates. So either we return to 18 clubs in Ligue 1, or we delete the Coupe de la Ligue.”
Jean-Michel Aulas, president of Olympique Lyonnais, has also called for the Coupe de le Ligue to be scrapped, claiming that it holds no benefit for sides such as his who compete in the Champions League as the cup games add more games to a congested fixture
list.
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