With 8 group matches, the European Cups monopolize the attention of the participating clubs. However, it can be a long week for non-European Ligue 1 teams. The latter dream of a return of the League Cup.
The change in the format of the European Cups has rekindled the debate on the crazy pace for professional footballers. You now have to play 8 group matches and up to 17 matches to reach the final if you play in the play-offs. With the selection matches, we exceed 60 annual meetings for world stars. With the Club World Cup this summer, PSG executives, for example, will not have much time to rest. A problem which does not affect the most modest teams in Ligue 1. On the contrary, the latter complain of not playing enough matches. With a championship reduced to 18 clubs and the absence of extension in the Coupe de France, it is not easy to be a substitute at Le Havre or Montpellier these days.
A League Cup for non-Europeans?
Thus, the idea of resurrecting the defunct Coupe de la Ligue is gaining ground according to information from The Team. Contested from 1995 to 2020, it was canceled for lack of broadcasters to acquire its TV rights. In addition to the matches, the financial windfall from this competition is regretted by many clubs. “ This League Cup filled certain weeks and brought revenue », admits a manager to the French sports daily. A working group bringing together several club presidents was created at the start of the season. A new, unique formula could quickly see the light of day.
-The League Cup 2.0 could put aside European clubs, already very busy, to pit the more modest Ligue 1 clubs against Ligue 2 but also the National, which has become professional Ligue 3. Among the avenues under study, there is that of a first local round with oppositions between clubs from the same region and the obligation to put a minimum number of young players on the match sheets. Unlike its predecessor, this new League Cup will not qualify the winner for Europe. We will now see if the project will appeal to TV channels and if this cup will stand out from the Coupe de France while the FFF wants to modernize the Old Lady.
France
