Paris Saint-Germain have stood by their request to postpone a Ligue 1 fixture to better prepare for their Champions League encounter with Liverpool. The French outfit have faced criticism for attempting to reschedule their match with title contenders Lens, who have dismissed the idea of such a change.
PSG successfully secured such a request for their European meeting with Chelsea and now wish to guarantee a week of rest between their scheduled Liverpool fixtures. The encounter with Lens is presently slated for between those matches.
A verdict on the club's request is anticipated on Thursday following an French league board meeting, according to reports in France. And amid the backlash, PSG are maintaining it is a move that will serve all of French football.
According to Le Parisien, PSG believe that such a move is "structured and transparent, in no way calls into question the championship".
A club source is reported to have observed: "The performances of French clubs competing in European competitions benefit French football as a whole, especially given that France currently occupies 6th place in the UEFA coefficient rankings for the 2025-2026 season.
"The stakes are high: securing 5th place in the UEFA coefficient rankings, which means better representation for French football in European competitions, with up to seven clubs qualifying. The success of French clubs in Europe also generates direct benefits for all professional clubs, not just the teams involved in these competitions."
"The prospect of seeing two French clubs reach the semi-finals of European competitions represents a significant opportunity for Ligue 1, both sportingly and economically."
It was stressed: "This type of rescheduling has been implemented regularly by the LFP in the past, to the benefit of many French clubs involved in European competitions."
The statement came after Lens had already made their stance abundantly clear. They are firmly opposed to the fixture being moved.
"It does indeed appear to us that a troubling sentiment is taking hold: that of a French championship gradually relegated to the status of an adjustment variable at the whim of the European imperatives of some," they said in a statement.
"A singular conception of sporting equity, the equivalent of which is hard to find in other major continental competitions. Changing the date of this match today would mean, for Racing Club de Lens, being deprived of competition for 15 days and then chaining matches every three days - a rhythm that corresponds neither to the one defined at the start of the championship, nor to the resources of a club that could absorb this type of new constraint without consequence."
England and Nike have launched the new home, away and goalkeeper kits to be worn at this summer's FIFA World Cup. You can get free delivery on all orders with the code: ENGFREEDEL
