June 17 (Bloomberg) -- The French government is aiming to pass a law that may help clubs including OL Groupe, the owner of the Olympique Lyonnais soccer team, build new stadiums more rapidly, Small Businesses Minister Herve Novelli said.

A government amendment “that will be discussed this afternoon” at the National Assembly in Paris “can accelerate the construction of big stadiums,” Novelli said in a telephone interview today. “There’s Lyon, Lille,” among cities that may be concerned, he said.

The amendment, which is being introduced by Sports Minister Bernard Laporte, says the government may come up with a list of stadiums and nearby infrastructure that are of “public interest,” whether they are public or private. Local governments may build or help build infrastructure needed for these stadiums, the provision says.

If adopted by the Lower House and upheld at a later stage by the Senate, the amendment may help soccer clubs including OL Groupe increase revenue with greater stadium capacity and by selling more services.

France needs to build bigger stadiums or renovate existing ones to increase its chance of hosting the 2016 European soccer championship. France last hosted the European soccer championship in 1984 and the World Cup in 1998. It won the trophy on both occasions.

Construction of new stadiums may also benefit Vinci SA, the world’s biggest construction company, and Bouygues SA, the world’s second-largest construction company, which were part of the consortium that built the Stade de France near Paris for the 1998 World Cup.

To contact the reporter on this story: Francois de Beaupuy in Paris at fdebeaupuy@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 17, 2009 10:20 EDT