Ligue 1 has announced the postponement of Thursday’s highly anticipated match between Reims and Paris Saint-Germain. This decision aims to give PSG additional preparation time for their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool next month.
PSG’s schedule has been adjusted, with their match against Lens—originally set for April 11—now taking place at home three days earlier, followed by an away match three days later. This shift comes amid the quarter-finals featuring PSG as the defending champions in a crucial matchup against Liverpool.
The tournament is now rescheduled for May 13, falling between two final rounds of the French Championship. The title race is particularly tight, with Lens just one point behind PSG and only one game remaining for each team.
Additionally, Strasbourg’s match scheduled for April 12 against Brest has also been postponed by Ligue 1 organizers (LFP) due to Strasbourg’s commitments in the Conference League quarter-finals against Bundesliga’s Mainz.
LFP’s Decision Highlights Strategic Interests
The LFP released a statement indicating that its board unanimously accepted the requests from PSG and Strasbourg. Notably, this decision did not require the approval of Reims or Brest, and was guided by the broader interests of French football.
The LFP emphasized that these changes support its strategic vision to maintain France’s fifth place in the UEFA coefficient ranking, which is essential for securing four spots for the UEFA Champions League.
In response, Lens criticized the LFP’s decision as potentially serving the interests of specific political factions within European football and firmly opposed any changes to the schedule.
Historically, the league has made similar adjustments; a precedent was set two years ago when Marseille’s match against Nice was rescheduled to assist in their Europa League quarter-final against Benfica.
Lens President Joseph Ouhaulian expressed his skepticism regarding the outcome of the league’s deliberations in a LinkedIn post prior to Thursday’s announcement. Meanwhile, Lens director Benjamin Parrott raised concerns about whether PSG would have received the same leniency if they held a more substantial lead in the standings.
“If PSG had a 15-point advantage, would we be having this discussion? It’s possible they would have opted to rotate their squad instead,” Parrott stated in an interview with L’Equipe.
As Reims navigates a challenging schedule—playing three matches in eight days from April 17 to 24, including a Ligue 1 encounter against Toulouse and the French Cup semi-final against Brest—this change could significantly impact their performance given the compressive nature of their upcoming fixtures.
Despite the push for schedule adjustments, Parrott confirmed that Lens would not request further alterations from the league, affirming the importance of taking the subsequent matches seriously while expressing concerns over fairness regarding team depth.
PSG advisor Luis Campos remarked that the postponement of the Lens-PSG fixture is advantageous not only for PSG but also for French football as a whole. “Our focus is to be in the best position to represent France in Europe,” Campos noted, referencing the significance of France’s standing in UEFA’s coefficient rankings.
This ranking is critically important, especially as England’s clubs benefited from a record six teams qualifying for the Champions League this season, a direct result of their high coefficient ranking. With France currently in fifth place, pressure mounts from Portugal and other nations seeking to challenge their standing in European football.
