Paris: Lyon will challenge the decision to end the Ligue 1 season early because of the coronavirus pandemic before the Council of State, France's highest administrative court, a club source told AFP.
The club criticised the April 30 ruling made by the French league (LFP) to declare the season over following an announcement by the government that football could not restart because of the health crisis.
The men’s league was cancelled four weeks ago with 10 rounds remaining. Paris Saint-Germain were declared the champions, with Lyon finishing outside the European qualification places in seventh.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas also wrote a letter Monday to France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu urging them to reconsider the decision, with the government expected to announce next week a further loosening of the lockdown.
In the letter, Aulas argued that the premature conclusion of the season will have catastrophic consequences for French clubs, which could face losses of "700 to 900" million euros (US$ 760 to $980 million).
"Could we imagine that 2 June is also a great opportunity to rectify the mistake concerning French football and to allow, with a health protocol used everywhere, a gradual resumption of training and, why not, a resumption of the 2019-20 season over the months of July or August?" Aulas said.