PSG’s wish has come true with Ligue 1. (Image: Getty Images)
Paris Saint-Germain have succeeded in their plan to postpone their Ligue 1 match between their Champions League quarter-final match against Liverpool. PSG was due to play Reims on April 11, but the French title game has now been rescheduled despite the anger of their rivals. PSG made a formal request to the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) to reschedule the match to a later date, but the decision to grant the request was made after a controversy.
This is not the first time a club has made a similar appeal, demanding that their game against Nantes be moved between their last-16 opponents, Chelsea. The first leg of the quarter-finals between Liverpool and PSG will be played at the Parc des Princes on April 8th. The second leg at Anfield will take place just under a week later on April 14th. Between these matches, the Reds will face Fulham in the Premier League at Anfield. The match will take place on the same day that PSG was scheduled to play Lens.
This means the Reds will face a significant disadvantage in a draw where they were already considered underdogs. The Reds lost to PSG, who won the Champions League last season. And Arne Slot’s team has regressed significantly since then.
In response to PSG’s request to postpone the match, coach Lens issued a firm statement. “On 6 March, the fixture schedule for Racing Club de Reims vs. Paris Saint-Germain was finalized and the framework that everyone is asked to follow has been officially decided,” it read.
“In a spirit of responsibility and restraint, Racing Club de Reims has communicated to Paris Saint-Germain from the time of the first request its intention not to allow a change to this date. True to certain ideas of sporting stability, the club has also chosen to refrain from any public communication regarding this matter.”
“However, a recent flurry of statements, interventions and various proposals has brought us out of this state of suspension. It certainly seems to us that an alarming feeling is taking hold, a feeling that the French championship is gradually being relegated to the status of a moderating variable at the whims of some European imperatives.”
“However, a recent flurry of statements, interventions and various proposals has brought us out of this state of suspension. It certainly seems to us that an alarming feeling is taking hold, a feeling that the French championship is gradually being relegated to the status of a moderating variable at the whims of some European imperatives.”
“Thus, it will be understood that the tenth budget of the Championship should be adapted to the demands of the most powerful powers, clearly in the name of interests that extend beyond the domestic framework, which has already been alleviated in recent seasons (L1 reduced to 18 clubs, Coupe de la Ligue abolished).
“Beyond this particular case, the issue being raised is more fundamental. It is a question of respect by the sport itself, because the championship itself can sometimes be forgiven for questioning itself, when it seems to be relegated to the background of other ambitions, no matter how legitimate.
“Racing Club de Reims remains committed to fairness, clarity of rules and respect for all stakeholders. We adhere to simple principles for a loyal and respected French football.”
