Paris Saint-Germain’s home Ligue 1 match against Lyon, originally set for Sunday, has been moved to Monday. The French league announced the change on Friday after police asked for the fixture to be rescheduled during a wave of violent protests in the French capital.
The postponement means reigning Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele will miss Monday’s awards ceremony in London, where he and several PSG team-mates are nominated. The 29-year-old France forward was again among the favourites after helping his country reach the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and leading PSG to a defence of the UEFA Champions League.
Police request behind the PSG-Lyon rescheduling
The league said it had noted a police decree banning the game as scheduled at 8:45 pm on Sunday. It decided to move the match to Monday at 8:30 pm. Both clubs were level on 14 points at the top of the table going into this weekend’s eighth round.
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Monday’s kick-off will clash with the Ballon d’Or ceremony, where several PSG players are on the men’s shortlist. They include Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Brazil’s Marquinhos and Vitinha of Portugal.
Security plans for weekend protests in France
French authorities are bracing for another weekend of demonstrations in Paris and across the country. Some of the worst urban violence in years broke out on the sidelines of protests a week ago.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday that officials would mount a ‘massive’ security operation for protests planned on Saturday, with troops reinforcing police. He pointed to rioting and looting that swept through Paris and other French cities on October 17.
Other sporting fixtures affected in the Paris area
The PSG game is one of several high-profile sporting events scheduled around the capital this weekend. The Pittsburgh Steelers are due to face the New Orleans Saints in an NFL regular-season game at the Stade de France on Sunday, an event expected to need a significant police deployment.
Separately, Toulouse’s Ligue 1 home match against Troyes has already been moved from Saturday to Sunday at the request of local authorities, the league said on Wednesday.
