Lens rejects PSG’s request to postpone the clash between Liverpool’s UCL matches in Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain wants to postpone the Ligue 1 title match with Lens because it is between the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Liverpool.

Lens has rejected moving the home match from April 11, saying the French league would be relegated “to accommodate the European ambitions of certain parties.”

A Ligue 1 decision is expected on Thursday. The league has previously helped its teams compete in European competitions.

Ligue 1 is experiencing an exciting title race. Lens is one point behind PSG, having played one more match.

Their clash falls between PSG’s home and away matches against Liverpool, with the former hosts playing on April 9 and traveling to Anfield for the reverse fixture on April 15.

The French league previously postponed PSG’s home match against Nantes – the match against Lens – because it fell between the last two matches against Chelsea. A rested PSG defeated Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate.

But while Nantes agreed to reschedule, Lens did not agree to grant PSG the same favor.

READ ALSO:Mbappe says he is recovering well from a knee injury and is confident he will perform well at the World Cup

“It seems to us that a worrying sentiment is gaining the upper hand: that a French competition is gradually being relegated to the status of a mere variable in order to accommodate the European ambitions of certain parties,” Lens said in a statement on X. “This is a peculiar view of sporting fairness, one with which it is difficult to find parallels in other major continental competitions.”

Lens argued that the country has the tenth largest budget in Ligue 1 – far behind PSG’s purchasing power – and that the smaller squad would be exposed to a hectic schedule. Lens will also play in the semi-finals of the French Cup on April 21.

“Changing the date of this match today would mean that Lens will no longer have a competition for fifteen days, followed by matches every three days,” said Lens. “A schedule that neither corresponds to the schedule established at the beginning of the season nor to the resources of a club that could absorb these types of new restrictions without consequences.”

Lens won its only French title in 1998, compared to a record 13 championships for PSG, easily sealing last season’s trophy. PSG have only lost twice and those defeats came after the title was sealed.

“Apart from this specific case, the question asked is more fundamental: that of the respect due to the competition itself,” Lens added. “It is legitimate to question this when the competition on home soil sometimes seems to have been relegated behind other ambitions.”

But another factor could work against Lens.

Strasbourg are reportedly looking to reschedule the league match in Brest on April 12 because it falls between the Conference League quarter-final against German club Mainz.

Published on March 24, 2026