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Lyon defend president Aulas from coronavirus criticism

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AFP Lyon
Last Updated : Mar 15 2020 | 10:14 PM IST

In the face of furious criticism, French Ligue 1 outfit Lyon defended their president Jean-Michel Aulas on Sunday, who had suggested wiping out the French season.

Aulas, his club said in a statement, had only envisaged "a hypothesis" when he talked about "a blank season", if Ligue 1 could not completed its fixture because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, Aulas told Le Monde newspaper: "The most logical thing would be to say: we'll cancel everything and go back to the situation at the start of the season."
"The question was what would happen if the championship wasn't finished."
On Sunday, French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel le Graet told French television the idea was "quite ridiculous, stupid, clumsy and inappropriate to what's happening."
He asked the two club presidents "to calm down and be dignified in their statements, which make no sense and don't make them any bigger."
Their statement condemned "a flood of media coverage around a question taken out of context."
The club said on Thursday, he met with the presidents of both organisations "to propose, in the general interest, that the health of the players and all those involved in the competition should be the primary concern."

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First Published: Mar 15 2020 | 10:14 PM IST

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