Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas believes the powers in French football are conspiring in a bid to prevent his club becoming champions.

Les Gones played with 10 men for the entire second half against Caen on Saturday after Fabio Grosso was dismissed for a half-time altercation with Yoann Gouffran in the tunnel, but still claimed a 2-2 draw to maintain their four-point lead at the summit.

Aulas was livid that left-back Grosso was given his marching orders away from the field of play, and felt it was just another example of league officials ganging up on his club.

He has recently been angered by the league's decision to force Lyon to play a Ligue 1 game against Nancy on Saturday May 10, just three days after their Coupe de France semi-final against Sedan.

"This is getting too much," said a paranoid Aulas.

"I know that all the powers do not want Lyon to be champions but to throw at us a sending-off from the dressing room, you can't go that far.

"Even if this glaring injustice woke us up for the second half, it is too much."

On Grosso's dismissal, Aulas added: "A normal sanction would have been the dismissal of both players.

"Nobody saw anything. Caen's coaches went to complain that Fabio had brushed the face of his opponent (Gouffran). And which player is penalised in this affair - the one from Lyon.

"You can't send a player off, during a match that could be decisive for the title, just because there is an altercation in the tunnel."

Aulas maintains Lyon could put out a second-string side against Sedan in the cup if league officials do not change the fixture schedule.

"I dream day and night about this seventh title and it is for this reason that we will not hesitate for one moment to play a reserve team for the semi-final," he said.

"The priority is to win the title. If we must beat Nancy to do that, it is obvious that it will not be the best team that plays Sedan."

Lyon are four points clear of second-placed Bordeaux with three matches remaining.

TeamTalk / Eurosport