PSG-Lyon moved to Monday, 26 October, at police request amid French protests

The rescheduled fixture

Paris police asked for the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais to move off Sunday, 25 October, because their resources are stretched by mass protests planned for the weekend. The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) confirmed the change on Friday, 23 October, and the game is now set for Monday, 26 October, at 20:30 local time at the Parc des Princes in western Paris. The original kick-off was listed for 20:45 on Sunday. The league agreed the new date with the broadcaster Ligue 1+, which will show the match live.

The LFP's statement said:

The LFP takes note of the police decree prohibiting the staging of the game between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday.

Why police want the weekend covered

Authorities are preparing for another weekend of demonstrations in Paris and across France, a week after the violence of 17 October. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced a deployment of 70,000 police officers and gendarmes in public spaces, with special units, armoured vehicles and water cannon, according to Die Welt. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called the planned security operation 'massive' and said troops would reinforce the police, as reported by Al Jazeera. Die Welt also reports that shops in several places are being boarded up. Four fixtures in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 have been moved because of the security situation, including Toulouse against Troyes, which was pushed to Sunday at 17:15.

Last weekend's unrest

AP describes the rioting on the weekend of 17 October as the worst in France in years, with city halls, public buildings and thousands of businesses affected. Die Welt reports that a historic town hall in Limoges burned down during the violence. Protests that began as student demonstrations drew crowds to about 110 marches that Saturday. Figures differ on the turnout: AP counted about 550,000 people, the New York Times cited the Interior Ministry at more than 500,000, and the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) put it at 800,000. The New York Times also reported around 1,500 shops vandalised and nearly 2,400 arrests over that Saturday.

Sporting stakes and the Ballon d'Or

PSG and Lyon are level on 14 points ahead of the eighth round, with Lyon ahead on goal difference according to the New York Times. Lyon are coached by Paulo Fonseca, as Notícias ao Minuto reports. The new kick-off coincides with the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, which 20minutes says starts at 19:30. Die Welt reports that ten PSG players are among the 30 nominees, and Al Jazeera lists names including Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Vitinha. Al Jazeera also reports that the reigning Ballon d'Or holder, Ousmane Dembele, will miss the ceremony.

Weekend fixtures

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints meet in an NFL regular-season game at the Stade de France on Sunday at 14:30 local time, an event expected to need a significant police deployment. The timeline below sets out the key dates reported so far.

The PSG-Lyon match will now be played on Monday evening, with the Ballon d'Or gala running alongside it in London.