Paris St. Germain declared Ligue 1 champions despite truncated season

Whether or not the Covid-19 pandemic stopped the planet in its tracks, one thing in soccer was for certain: Paris St. Germain were going to win Ligue 1 again. And that was made official today as when French prime minister Edouard Philippe announced no sporting events would take place until September, a points-per-match system made PSG the holders once again.

That now makes three in a row and seven out of eight for Les Parisians, who are the dominant force domestically but have yet to break through on the European stage.

PSG was on 67 points through 27 matches played, while second place Marseille was 12 behind after 28 contested. The almost absurd goal difference of +51 compared to +12 for the second place team shows the gap in quality between what happens at Parc des Princes and everywhere else in France.

Kylian Mbappe led all goal scorers during the competition with 18 from just 17 matches started, and Brazilian superstar Neymar accounted for 13 in just 15 matches. A team that can have two of the best scorers in the world not even play in every lineup and still dominate a league like this shows the imbalance currently afflicting French football.

PSG is owned by Qatar Sports Investments, who haven’t been afraid to play fast and loose with the financial fair play regulations of UEFA. They’ve spent over $1 billion in the transfer market alone in the last decade, and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Now the question becomes: Can the rest of Ligue 1 catch up?