Ibrahima Konate calls for Premier League intervention as PSG given extra advantage over Liverpool
Ibrahima Konate has called for the Premier League to take a leaf out of Ligue 1’s book and take action to help its clubs who are still involved in European competition.
Whereas Liverpool will host Fulham on Saturday before the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, who hold a 2-0 advantage going to Anfield, the French side will have a free weekend after successfully lobbying for their top-flight match against Lens to be postponed.
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PSG’s title rivals issued a strongly-worded condemnation of the LFP’s decision to push back that fixture, claiming that Ligue 1 has duly been ‘relegated to the status of an adjustment variable at the whim of the European imperatives of some’.
Konate wants Premier League to follow Ligue 1’s lead
Konate was speaking to Stan Sport after Liverpool’s defeat on Wednesday night when he called for the Premier League to emulate its French counterpart by maximising rest periods for its clubs in between European fixtures.
The 26-year-old said: “Last season it was the same. I wish we had the same thing in the Premier League, but it’s completely different. In a way, I’m happy for [PSG] because it’s good for them and I think the league helps them to reach something in the Champions League.
“I’m hoping the Premier League are going to do the same in the future, or why not this season, for the teams who play in the Champions League as well.”
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Konate raises a pertinent debate for English football
Whilst we understand Konate’s pleas for the Premier League to follow Ligue 1’s lead in that regard, it’s not something we expect to see in the English top flight any time soon.
Whereas France only has two clubs remaining in Europe (PSG and Strasbourg) and could therefore move their games without any great disruption, England still has five teams involved in UEFA competitions, which makes it harder for widespread postponements to be granted.
As it is, the Premier League has had to reschedule three matches later this month owing to clashes with the FA Cup semi-finals, with either one or two more to be moved from the weekend of the final in May, and Crystal Palace (who are still in Europe) are yet to discover when they’ll be playing away to Manchester City.
Ligue 1 has 18 teams compared to 20 in the English top flight (hence four fewer matchdays), and France has just one domestic cup competition whereas England has two, so there’s more scope for the LFP to rearrange their fixtures than there is for the Premier League with theirs.
Konate’s pleas will likely fall on deaf ears, although it does raise a pertinent debate regarding the workload on English clubs who also have prolonged European commitments.
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