To unprecedented situation exceptional device. While the kick-off of the 2022-2023 French football championship will be given this Friday evening on the lawn of Olympique Lyonnais (against promoted Ajaccio), the season already promises to be long for the residents of Ligue 1 – with a calendar stretching from August 5, 2022 to June 3, 2023. In question? The organization of the World Cup in Qatar (November 21-December 18) in the middle of the season. Indeed, for the first time in history, the most prestigious football competition will take place during the winter, in order to avoid the strong summer heat in Qatar. From then on, the Talent League will be divided into two parts: 15 days until November 13, before a 44-day break until December 28.
So, of course, the presence of a final phase in the middle of the season, like the African Cup of Nations during the exercise just finished, is nothing original. But that of a World Cup involving many more players and causing the interruption of club competitions will be a discovery for players in the round ball.
An overloaded calendar and a “Boxing Day”
This weekend, Paris Saint-Germain will begin the defense of their title in Clermont, Olympique de Marseille will make their debut at the Vélodrome against Reims, while, for their return to the top flight, the promoted Toulouse and Auxerre will face Nice and Lille. However, the season promises to be singularly disjointed this year, since the championship will observe a break after the 15e day, scheduled for the weekend of November 12. The international players will then have to be made available to the selections from November 14, just one week before the inaugural match in Doha. If some clubs fear a loss of rhythm and a missed recovery, others see this cut in a good light. During this truce, the clubs will therefore above all have to manage the players who are not in selection to keep them in shape during these six weeks without an official match. Most of the teams have already decided to give the entire workforce a fortnight’s rest, before starting a new preparation for the resumption of Ligue 1.
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However, for those who will be involved in the World Cup in Qatar (more than 50 Ligue 1 players are concerned), the story will be quite different. A player who has been selected for the World Cup and who will play in European competition with his club could exceed sixty games over the whole of the 2022-2023 financial year. Worse still, for those who will go far in the competition, the recovery time will be minimal before chaining the matches again at a frantic pace in the French championship. Especially since this World Cup could end in injuries and therefore deprive the coaches and their respective staffs of crucial elements during the recovery. Conversely, this period will also allow clubs to recover injured players.
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In addition, it will also be necessary to count on a French Boxing Day: a day will take place on Wednesday December 28, 2022 (the 16e) and another on 1is January 2023 (the 17e). Finally, to spice up an already strong season, four teams will descend to Ligue 2 at the end of the 2022-2023 financial year with the aim of increasing Ligue 1 to 18 clubs. Note that there will be no play-offs or play-offs. If this interminable season has an impact on the physical state of the players and on their mentality, the consequences should be visible at the end of next spring or during the next preparation in July 2023.
