No French Cup until December 1 as France braces for second lockdown

ByEurosport

Updated 29/10/2020 at 21:09 GMT

The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting football again on the continent. Following the news that Germany are going to ban fans from attending matches as they look to limit the spread of Covid-19 once again, French football below the third tier has been suspended as well as the French Cup.

The French Cup has been suspended until December 1st as France prepares to enter a second national lockdown from Friday.

The French Football Federation (FFF) said in a statement: "The FFF decided to suspend all leagues, districts and national championships competitions National 3, National 2, Women's D2, the French Cup for men and women, and national youth championships (male and female) until Tuesday, 1 December.

"All matches that cannot be played during this period will be postponed to later dates, depending on the evolution of the health situation."

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ELITE SPORT - INCLUDING LIGUE 1 - TO CONTINUE

Sport classified as elite, including the top three tiers of French football, is set to continue despite the nationwide lockdown announced by President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, sports minister Roxana Maracineanu said.

“The coming weeks will be tough economically but also humanely," Maracineanu said.

"This is why I wanted to confirm to you that the continuity of the sport which is practised as a profession is today assured,” Maracineau told a parliament session overnight.

Maracineanu's comments also come as welcome news to French rugby with the national side set to host Ireland on Saturday in their Six Nations finale.

The Paris Masters tennis is also due to begin on Monday.

France will go back into a nationwide lockdown starting this week to try to contain the pandemic, which is threatening to spiral out of control, Macron said in an address to the nation on Wednesday.

The new measures - which come into force on Friday and will last until December 1 - will mean people have to stay in their homes except to buy essential goods, seek medical attention, or use their daily one-hour allocation of exercise.

Additional reporting from Reuters.

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