Aulas brands Ligue 1 'championship of Qatar'

Lyon owner and chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has aimed a barb at Paris Saint-Germain by suggesting his club will face Monaco for "the championship of France" next week.

PSG claimed their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title at a canter last month and they sit 27 points clear of second-place Lyon with a game in hand.

The Parisian's dominance of the French top flight, bolstered by the considerable wealth of owners Qatar Sports Investments, has raised concerns in some quarters and the outspoken Aulas added his voice to the criticism.

Saturday's 2-1 win over Gazelec Ajaccio kept Lyon above Monaco on goal difference and Aulas placed a high price on next Saturday's match between the two in the race for second.

"On Saturday we will have a match that will count for a place on the podium, if possible the highest behind Paris," Aulas said, as quoted by Le Fugaro. 

"The championship of Qatar is very specific and reduced to one team, so we will say that it is almost a match for the championship of France, [when Lyon] play against Monaco."