Paris Saint-Germain Request Postponement of Crucial Match… Lens Refuses
Paris Saint-Germain has requested a postponement of its pivotal Ligue 1 title-deciding match against Lens.
The request comes as PSG is scheduled to play Liverpool in both legs of the Champions League quarter-finals around the same time.
Lens has rejected the postponement, stating that the French league would be relegated “to achieve the ambitions of certain parties in European competitions.”
A decision from “Ligue de Football Professionnel” is expected on Thursday. The league has previously made decisions to assist its teams in European competitions.
The French league is currently experiencing a tight race for the title, with Lens trailing league-leading Paris Saint-Germain by just one point, despite having played one more game.
This match presents a significant challenge for Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning Champions League title holders, who are set to host Liverpool three days prior, followed by the return leg at Anfield three days later.
Ligue de Football Professionnel previously postponed PSG’s home match against Nantes, as it fell between the two legs of their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Chelsea.
PSG benefited from that decision, advancing to the quarter-finals after an 8-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea.
While Nantes agreed to reschedule the game, Lens views the situation differently, stating in a post on its X account: “It seems to us that a worrying feeling is creeping in, namely that Ligue 1 is gradually being marginalized to become merely a secondary factor in meeting the European ambitions of certain parties.”
The statement continued: “What we have is a strange concept of sporting fairness, tough to find elsewhere in the major continental competitions.”
Lens also pointed out that its budget is the tenth-largest in Ligue 1, significantly smaller than Paris Saint-Germain’s substantial spending power, and that its smaller squad will face a congested schedule, including a Coupe de France semi-final on April 21.
“Changing the date of this match today means depriving the team of competition for 15 days, followed by matches every three days. This is a schedule that does not correspond to the calendar established at the beginning of the current season, nor to the capabilities of a club able to absorb this type of new constraint without consequences,” Lens added.
Lens won its only Ligue 1 title in 1998, while PSG holds the record for the most league titles with 13.
PSG easily secured last season’s league title, losing only twice after the championship had already been decided.
