No League Cup reprieve for PSG

AFP - 29 July 2008 12:27

Paris Saint-Germain´s fans cheer their team. League Cup winners Paris Saint Germain´s bid to have a ban on them defending the title was turned down by the French football federation (FFF).

PARIS (AFP) - League Cup winners Paris Saint Germain's bid to overturn a ban on them competing in the 2008-2009 competition was on Tuesday turned down by the French football federation (FFF).

During an emergency meeting Tuesday morning the FFF dismissed a proposal by the French national Olympic Committee (CNOSF) to have the ban transformed into a match behind closed doors at the beginning of the season.

The CNOSF on Monday said they found the sanction "disproportionate".

But the FFF judged the original sanction as "appropriate given the particular nature and the seriousness of the facts".

In April the Professional Football League (LFP) banned the winners from next season's competition after PSG fans displayed a controversial banner during their League Cup final victory over Lens.

During the match Parisian fans were forced to remove the 25-metre banner which labelled people in the northeast of the country as "paedophiles, unemployed, inbreds".

And FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes said that they wanted to send out a strong message that this type of behaviour would not be tolerated.

"PSG aren't being picked on but we had to remain firm faced with something that misrepresents the sport," Escalettes told AFP.

"What shocked us was to hear the CNOSF say that this sanction was 'disproportionate'.

"We think it's a suitable sanction. At the time we were accused of being lax and now we're told it's too severe."

He added that because the incident took place during the League Cup "it was logical and suitable the sanction concern the League Cup and not the French championship".

The draw for the first round of the League Cup takes place on Wednesday.