PARIS (AP) — The French league postponed the Ligue 1 title game between Reims and Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday to allow PSG to better prepare for next month’s Champions League quarterfinal against Liverpool.
Originally set for April 11th, the Lens vs. PSG match was moved in between. defending champion PSG’s two quarter-final matches against Liverpool were played at home three days earlier and away three days later.
The tournament will now be held on May 13th, between the remaining two rounds of the French Championship. I’m enjoying Ligue 1 Approaching the title fightWith PSG leading by one point, Lens has played one more game.
Strasbourg’s match in Brest on April 12 was also postponed by league organizers LFP because it was between Strasbourg’s Conference League quarter-finals against Germany’s Club Mainz.
LFP said in a statement that its board had “unanimously decided” to accept the request from PSG and Strasbourg, adding that the decision did not require approval from Reims or Brest and was taken in the broader interests of French football.
“These decisions are in line with the board’s strong strategic direction of allowing France to maintain fifth place in the UEFA (Coefficient) Index, which will enable it to obtain four spots in the UEFA Champions League,” the LFP said.
Lens said no.
The lens firmly refuses to move. A statement this week said Ligue 1 would be relegated “to serve the European ambitions of a particular political party”.
But the league had precedent. This helped Marseille two years ago by moving the match against Nice in the Europa League quarter-final against Benfica.
not optimistic
Lens President Joseph O’Gorian said in a LinkedIn post ahead of Thursday’s decision that he had “little illusions” about the outcome. Lens director Benjamin Parrott questioned whether PSG’s request would have been granted under other circumstances.
“If PSG had a 15-point lead, would we have the same discussion? Maybe they would just rotate their teams,” Parrott told L’Equipe on Wednesday. “Generally the LFP is compared to England, Italy, Spain and Germany, but none of the leagues work that way.”
Reims played three games in eight days during a difficult period from April 17th to 24th, playing against Toulouse in Ligue 1 and facing Brest in the French Cup semi-finals on April 24th. That game was scheduled for Friday instead of the weekend, which would have given Lens more rest.
Parrott said Lens had no intention of asking the French league to change these dates.
“I will take the consecutive matches seriously,” he said. “But it’s unfair if the teams aren’t the same depth.”
progress in europe
PSG’s football advisor Luis Campos said it was vital the team finally made it into the Champions League.
“The postponement of Lens vs. PSG is not only beneficial for PSG, but also for French football,” Campos said on RMC radio on Wednesday. “We have nothing against Lens. The important thing is to be in the best possible position to represent France in Europe, where we need it.”
He was referring to France’s position. UEFA coefficient rankingThis is based on the results of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
England sent record 6 teams While France will qualify for this season’s Champions League due to their high coefficient ranking, fifth-placed France may be under pressure from Portugal.
“No other major leagues are at risk,” Campos added. ___
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