Ligue 1 have confirmed that a scheduled match between Paris Saint-Germain and RC Lens has been postponed at the request of the French champions in order to ease fixture congestion ahead of their Champions League clashes against Liverpool.
The original fixture against Lens was to take place on April 11, which would have fallen in between their two Champions League quarter-final ties against the English champions. The match has been given a new date of May 13.
In a statement on Monday evening, Lens said they had opposed any change of date, stating that any attempt to do so from PSG was “unsportsmanlike”.
Lens, who are currently second in Ligue 1 – one point behind PSG with a game in hand – would not play competitively for 15 days and would then have to play matches every three days as a result.
Sky Sports News understands that it was an unanimous decision by Ligue 1’s board, with Strasbourg’s game also postponed to help both clubs prepare for European games.
PSG’s president and CEO were present during the vote but chose to abstain, while Lens’ president said before the vote that he has no issue with any postponement.
It is also understood that the board said this decision is in the interest of French football to help boost the country’s coefficient ranking for next season.
An official statement from PSG following the postponement added:
“This rescheduling, which has already been implemented on several occasions, will enable the two French clubs still competing in European competitions – a rare situation for French football – to prepare in the best possible conditions for their upcoming fixtures.”
