The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints are set to make history next weekend when they play the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Paris. But with protests across France growing more violent by the day, there are now real questions about whether the game will actually happen there.
On Saturday, more than 1,200 people were reportedly arrested as roughly 550,000 demonstrators took to the streets, with riot police using tear gas and water cannons on crowds in the French capital. So far, the league has insisted that it’s moving forward as planned, but the situation on the ground appears to be getting worse.
Unrest Escalates in France
The demonstrations, which were sparked by concerns about conditions in French schools and the rising cost of living, have been going on for weeks. Saturday marked a major turning point, though.
At least 1,200 people were arrested during what the French government called an “escalation in violence,” according to the BBC. Buildings were set on fire in Paris and other cities, shops were looted, and vehicles were torched in iconic spots like the Place de la République.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that 150 police officers were injured in the unrest. Lecornu also said police faced “violence of extreme intensity” and accused some groups of using the protests as a “warm-up” for next year’s presidential election.
Needless to say, that’s not exactly the backdrop the NFL had in mind when it scheduled its Paris debut.
‘Preparations continue as scheduled’
Earlier this week, before Saturday’s chaos, the league made it clear that it had no plans to change course.
“We’re excited for the first-ever regular season game in Paris, and preparations continue as scheduled for NFL events and the game at Stade de France on October 25,” the NFL said in a statement, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “As we do for every NFL game, including our international games, we work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters. We look forward to welcoming fans to Paris later this month.”
With the game a little more than a week away, though, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted that if the league is going to move the game, “a decision may need to be made soon.”
The most obvious backup plan would be New Orleans, since the Saints are the designated home team. There’s precedent for that, too, as the NFL moved a 2018 Chiefs-Rams game from Mexico City to Los Angeles due to poor field conditions.
Florio also floated London as a possibility if Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or Wembley Stadium were available. Either way, he wrote that any change in location “would become a potential logistical nightmare for the NFL, the teams, and the fans that have made plans to travel to France.”
Obviously, the NFL has a lot invested in its international push, but if things keep trending in this direction, the league may not have much of a choice but to move the game.
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