Paris St-Germain’s Ligue 1 meeting with Lyon has been rearranged for Monday after French police prevented the match from being played on its original date, as Paris prepares for another weekend of protests.
The fixture was due to take place at the Parc des Princes at 19:45 GMT on Sunday. It will now kick off at 20:30 on Monday, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) confirmed in a statement on Friday.
French authorities are planning a large-scale security operation for demonstrations scheduled to take place on Saturday. About 550,000 people joined protests last Saturday over rising fuel prices, education standards and the cost of living, following weeks of student demonstrations.
Marches were held in several major French cities, including Paris, with the support of unions and student groups. Some events were affected by violence, looting and damage.
The policing operation will also have to cover Sunday’s NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France. The match is expected to require a significant police presence.
The stadium is in Saint-Denis, approximately 10km from Place de la Bastille, where the protests are expected to start.
The disruption has already led to another change in France’s domestic football programme. Toulouse’s Ligue 1 home match against Troyes was moved from Saturday to Sunday at the request of the authorities.
The rearranged meeting between Paris St-Germain and Lyon will be played on the same day as the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London.
Paris St-Germain’s injured forwards Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are among the contenders for the award. Dembele, who is listed as the 2025 winner, will not be involved in the match because of his injury.
The fixture is a meeting between the top two sides in Ligue 1 after seven matches. Lyon are first with 14 points, while reigning French and European champions Paris St-Germain are second on the same total, behind on goal difference.