Ballon d'Or forces PSG to postpone their clash with Lyon

French police are guarding the vicinity of the Parc des Princes before the PSG match against Barça. Protests called by the unions on Saturday and Sunday mobilisations forced the Ligue de Football Professionnel to postpone the fixture. The clash was rescheduled for Monday at 20:30, while the Ballon d'Or ceremony will start at 21:00 in the same venue. The clash leaves several PSG players unable to travel to London.

Protests and security

The unions organised Saturday's protest against the rising cost of living, and additional mobilisations were expected on Sunday. The Paris prefecture, in coordination with the authorities of France, considered that it could not guarantee the necessary security for Sunday. Consequently, the police were forced to concentrate a large part of their forces in Saint‑Denis, where the Stade de France will host an NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints.

Rescheduling of the clash

The LFP eventually agreed to move the match to Monday, despite the initial objection from the Parisian authority. PSG, the current European champion, has ten players among the thirty Ballon d'Or finalists, which will prevent some of them from travelling to London with the rest of the delegation. The fixture will be played at the Parc des Princes at 20:30, and the ceremony will begin at 21:00.

Last season, the PSG match against Olympique de Marseille was also postponed, this time due to severe flooding, and was played on the same day Ousmane Dembélé received the award. That experience highlighted the difficulty of combining league commitments with the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Lyon match postponed due to riots in Paris

Moreover, the clash against Olympique de Lyon has an additional incentive: both teams are level on points at the top of the Ligue 1 table, so the result will decide who leads the standings. The pressure intensifies for the two sides battling for the lead.

The postponement request reached the LFP last Wednesday, after the prefecture warned that it could not guarantee the security arrangements for Sunday. Initially, the Professional Football League rejected the request, but eventually agreed to the date change.

PSG's management argued that the fixture should be held as planned, on Sunday at 20:45. However, the Parisian authority and the prefecture deemed it more appropriate to move it to the next day, prioritising public safety.

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The Monday match will be decisive in the fight for the Ligue 1 lead, and will also mark PSG's last chance to showcase its players before the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London.