The number of postponed fixtures in Ligue 1 has grown to six with nationwide protests seeing over half of this weekend’s fixtures put on hold.
It was decided in the last 24 hours that Nimes v Nantes won’t go ahead. That fixture joins Monaco v Nice, PSG v Montpellier, Angers v Bordeaux, Toulouse v Lyon and Saint-Etienne v Marseille in being postponed.
All matches will be rescheduled and played at a later date.
Local governments and police have requested that these matches be postponed with resources being used for extra security in light of the biggest protests in decades.
The French people are protesting higher fuel prices and taxes – which have now been scrapped by the government – as well as the increased cost of living and proposed changes to the university entrance exams which students fear will create inequality.
While the ‘yellow vest’ protest is showing no signs of stopping, the football has almost come to a complete halt with only four matches set to go ahead and a potential postponement of the entire round not outside the realm of possibility.
This unscheduled break potentially gives the teams playing in Europe a rest and a chance to recharge heading into the final match day UEFA Champions League group stage.
PSG need to beat Red Star to maintain their current position in the top two in group C while Lyon need to beat Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine to lock up second spot behind Manchester City.
Marseille and Bordeaux will also get an extended break in the lead up to their respective Europa League clashes but their chances of progression are slim to none.
The matches which are going ahead at this stage are: Guingamp v Amiens, Rennes v Dijon, Strasbourg v Caen and Lille v Reims.
