PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain’s clash with Lyon in Ligue 1 has been moved from Sunday to Monday evening at the request of Paris police, the French soccer league said on Friday.
The game was scheduled for 8:45 p.m. on Sunday — only hours after France’s first NFL game was taking place just north of Paris — and will now be played at Parc des Princes in western Paris at 8:30 p.m. local time. Police resources are stretched in the French capital with mass protests planned for this weekend.
“The LFP said in a statement that it “acknowledges the order issued by the police prefecture prohibiting the staging of the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais (on Sunday).”
France’s worst rioting in years saw city halls, other public buildings and thousands of businesses across the country impacted last weekend. There were scenes of widespread violence as police and protesters clashed, with shops destroyed and burned out, and local residents and shopkeepers left feeling exasperated by the chaos.
Last Saturday, 110 marches drew about 550,000 people across the country as they protested against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.
Defending champion PSG and Lyon were level on 14 points at the top of Ligue 1 heading into this weekend’s eighth round of games.
France’s first NFL Game
The NFL holds its first American football game in Paris on Sunday afternoon, when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints in their sold-out contest.
Around 80,000 fans are expected to attend the gridiron contest at Stade de France, which is just on the outskirts of Paris.
It can be reached via a short train ride from stations in Paris at Gare de Lyon, Gare du Nord and Châtelet or by subway lines.