Lille Metropole of France striker, Victor Osimhen has gained support in his prayer for a restart of action in the French Lgue 1 as one of his club’s rivals, Olympique Lyon are making a fresh appeal against the championship’s recent cancellation, megasportsarena.com gathered.
Osimhen, who has been on fire in only his first ever season playing in the French top-flight, took to social media two weeks back to lament how France have called off all football activity until September, and confessed that he felt jealous seeing other players in Germany busy once again, after resumed action the previous weekend, while Spain are set to follow suit on June 8.
With England and Italy also going through their respective approaches in ‘project restart,’ Osimhen felt cheated that he will have to stay at home and watch other players in top-flight action but that worry may now turn into celebration should Lyon’s appeal sail through.
While Osimhen admitted he was confused, sad and disappointed seeing players in Germany back in action, most clubs in Ligue 1 are outraged by the government’s decision in April to put off all sports action until September, which led to the two main leagues in France cancelled.
However, Osimhen, whose father died on Sunday, has now found a piece of cheer to hold unto from reports that Lyon have again urged French president, Emmanuel Macron to reconsider the decision to ban sporting events until September, with hope of seeing Ligue 1 return next month, after Spain gave the green light for top-flight football to resume in June.
The report out of France stated that Lyon, along with Amiens and FC Toulouse, lost their appeals when a judge upheld the ruling on Friday, but they have gained fresh encouragement from the declaration by Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez’s announcement on Saturday.
Sanchez said football will be allowed to return from June 8, meaning La Liga will be the second major European league to resume following the widespread suspension due to the crisis – with plans for the Premier League to return also on track.
Lyon missed out on European qualification through the final league standings, which is fuelling their unwillingness to accept the decision, but they are still in the Champions League, leading Juventus 1-0 after the first leg of their last-16 tie.
They say that cancelling the French league puts them and Paris Saint-Germain at a disadvantage and that would be a huge boost to Osimhen’s hope, should the appeal succeed, as the youngster s eager to complete what he started and, probably, add to his current haul of goals for Lille, who are also eyeing a spot in the UEFA Champions League, not just their current Europe League slot.
Lyon stated: “Olympique Lyonnais welcomes the decision this Saturday by Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish President, as his government authorised the resumption of La Liga from June 8. After the Bundesliga, this will be the second major league in Europe to return to the pitch.
“Olympique Lyonnais hopes that the example of Spain, following that of Germany, will help authorities reconsider the decision taken too hastily in France. OL calls on President Emmanuel Macron to support the spirit of a France that should react to its European competitors.
“Thanks to the industry and efficiency of its citizens, France has pushed back the pandemic to allow the resumption of training under controlled circumstances and tomorrow we hope to compete on the pitch, as will be the case in almost all of the other European countries.
“The decision, taken in a hurry, on April 30 can now be compensated for in the eyes of the French people if we know how to recognise that nothing is ever final, and we adopt the most appropriate solution. Olympique Lyonnais hopes that the example of Spain, following that of Germany, will help authorities reconsider the decision taken too hastily in France.”
