The NFL runs headlong into the chaos of the Paris protests

This Saturday Paris is preparing for new protests and, judging by how things went last week, security measures are going to be stepped up. This Saturday in the French capital, 70,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed to prevent further disorder during the planned social protests. Let us remember that in the demonstration held almost a week ago, more than 2,000 people were arrested for their participation in acts of violence.

In this climate, the NFL is landing in France for the first time, specifically in the city of Paris, where the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers will face each other on Sunday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has reiterated in recent days that everything will be under control so that the game can be held without problems, but yesterday the Steelers already canceled one of their weekend events planned for fans.

'"Following the recent events in the Bastille neighborhood and after careful consideration, we believe it appropriate not to move forward with the Steelers House fan event scheduled in Paris," the club announced.'

This is the first obstacle in a weekend that was supposed to serve as a promotion for the NFL and that is going to be overshadowed by the climate of violence the city is experiencing. Earlier this week, Dani Watt, wife of Steelers defensive end TJ Watt, publicly questioned why the date of the game has not been changed.

'In any case, the NFL announced yesterday that its event called the NFL Fan House, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, is going ahead as planned. Goodell himself, after leaving the fall owners' meeting, confirmed that he will attend the game and said that in recent days he had spoken with the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, about the event and the possibility of moving forward with the game. The commissioner sounded confident and tried to reassure with his words: "We have made all the necessary preparations. We have been in contact with all the relevant authorities".'

The game between the Saints and the Steelers takes place at the Stade de France, the venue of the disgraceful 2022 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool, where security was conspicuous by its absence and the organization was indescribable chaos. Let us hope that the broad security perimeter set up around the venues hosting NFL games abroad proves effective, because on that May 30, 2022, an army of organized criminals tormented the fans of both teams who traveled to the stadium.