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There has been soccer on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in France and now fans can watch the game on Mondays for the first time.
But a decision by the second division to allow Eurosport to show one live match on a Monday has met with hostility from many fans. Saint-Etienne supporters organised three minutes of silence before a recent match to protest against the innovation.
Some Ligue 2 chairmen fear the games could be played in front of empty stadiums because families are not used to going out and watching soccer during the working week.
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Like many of the smaller leagues in Europe, France's second division is caught
between satisfying supporters and television, whose funds keep many clubs afloat.
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Ligue 1 fixtures dominate weekend television and European soccer has taken over midweek viewing.
Eurosport already shows one Ligue 2 match on the eve of, or day after, the rest of the programme and when it wanted to screen another game the only option was Mondays. The first match will be Lorient-Besancon this evening.
Frederic Thiriez, president of the French League, believes fans will get used to the idea of watching soccer on a Monday, just as they have in England, and believes an additional televised match can only be good for the Ligue 2's profile.
He has promised to consider reimbursing clubs whose gates are hit by being televised on Mondays. Ticketmaster
"We will try
these Monday matches for the rest of the season to see how it works but I am
convinced it's a good thing," Thiriez told France Football.