French side Lens faces "being relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of this season regardless of their final position in the table after a court ruling regarding the club's finances on Thursday," according to Ian Holyman of ESPN.
The Administrative Court of Besancon decided that Lens' "promotion to the top flight last term summer was invalid." Sochaux, which finished 18th in Ligue 1 in that campaign and was relegated, "had brought the case."
The northern club's rise to Ligue 1 "had twice been rejected by French football's financial watchdog, the DNCG, due to the club's lack of financial stability before eventually being ratified by the French Football Federation" just days before the start of the '14-15 season.
The FFF "almost immediately announced it would be contesting the ruling." Lens coach Antoine Kombouare:
"I'm annoyed. Sochaux make me laugh. They were relegated because they were bad." Despite the best efforts of President Gervais Martel and the promises of Azerbaijani Owner Hafiz Mammadov that funds "would be forthcoming," the club "was banned from bringing in players by the DNCG in either of this season's transfer windows" (ESPN, 1/29).
