While waiting to find out whether or not Marseille will manage to climb to the Champions League play-offs, French football is in a bad position in the UEFA index rankings.
Olympique de Marseille lost Wednesday evening the first leg which opposed it to Panathinaikos (1-0), as part of the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Not good news for Marseille fans, any more than for French football in general. Already in bad shape in the UEFA index ranking, France could lose big if OM do not qualify.
If it had hung in extremis fifth place in the standings last season, France was demoted to sixth place in the UEFA index. A downgrading certainly temporary, but which could well last if Marseille did not manage to reach the final table of C1. For the moment, it is therefore the Netherlands who have recovered fifth place, synonymous with the last sesame to allow a nation to glean four qualifying places for the new formula of the “big ears cup”.
Fewer European places
Obviously, the result of Marseille’s performance will not be the only one to be decisive in this essential race for French football. The other clubs involved in the various European cups will also have their share of work to do. Whether it is PSG and Lens in the Champions League, Rennes and Toulouse in the Europa League, but also Lille who will play in the Conference League Europa play-offs, each performance will be important.
And if the French clubs do not shine enough and France remains stuck in sixth place in the UEFA index, then there will be only six European places left in all and for all, including three for the Champions League (two direct and one in the preliminary round). A disaster scenario that can still be avoided. Charge to OM to open the way.
