The date change could be a challenge for PSG, as the match coincides with the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Wednesday night.
Ligue 1’s Paris Saint-Germain home match against Lyon has been postponed to Wednesday, the French league announced after police requested it following violent protests in the French capital.
“The LFP welcomes the police decision to ban the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonne on Sunday at 8:45 p.m.
Police in Paris are diverting resources elsewhere as French authorities prepare for another week of protests in the capital following the urban violence that erupted during demonstrations a week ago.
The unrest came as part of nationwide protests against the rising cost of living. Since then, authorities have imposed a partial curfew in parts of Paris and other cities to prevent acts of violence.
French Interior Minister Laurent Núñez announced on Friday that nearly 70,000 security personnel would be deployed across the country this weekend, and warned that calls for violence and looting were circulating on social media.
That many Paris museums, including the Louvre, are closed on the Sabbath; Meanwhile, Art Basel Paris — the French capital’s biggest annual art exhibition — will close its doors this weekend, two days earlier than planned, due to the threat of protests. The date change could be a challenge for PSG, as the match coincides with the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Wednesday night.
Nine PSG players are among the 30 nominees for soccer’s highest individual prize, including last year’s winner Ousmane Dembele.
A year ago, PSG also had to play the match on the same night as the Ballon d’Or ceremony, after their game in Marseille was postponed for 24 hours due to storms. While the PSG contest affects the game, the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints — scheduled for 2:30 pm (13:30 GMT) on Sunday — will go ahead as scheduled.
The first NFL game in France will be played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.
PSG’s decision to postpone the match at the weekend resulted in a top-level French football match – originally scheduled to be played between the home side in Toulouse and Troy – being moved from Saturday to Sunday.
Also, several matches in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, will be played this weekend at the request of the police.
