Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 opener against Rennes has been relocated at short notice, because of damage to their pitch by the extreme heat. Sunday’s match will now take place at Rennes’ Roazhon Park, the LFP (Ligue de Football Professionel) competitions committee announced on Wednesday.
PSG said the pitch at Parc des Princes has deteriorated so much “that the current conditions did not allow the match to be held under satisfactory circumstances, particularly with regard to the safety and physical wellbeing of the players”.
The change of venue has been decided in agreement with Rennes, PSG said, and thanked its opponent. According to reports in French media, PSG expect the return fixture in March to be moved to Paris, but a formal agreement is not yet in place.
According to L’Equipe, PSG looked into the possibility of playing at Paris FC’s Stade Jean-Bouin – which is next door to Parc des Princes – and Stade Sébastien-Charléty in the south of the city, in addition to the Stade de France. After failing to secure any of the venues, the club contacted LFP for assistance.
“Paris Saint-Germain fully understands the inconvenience caused by this change for its supporters and all those who had planned to attend this match at the Parc des Princes,” it said. “The club regrets this exceptional situation.”
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PSG claim they have “identified a solution for replacing the pitch at the Parc des Princes for the upcoming matches”, starting with its next home game in Ligue 1 against Monaco on 4 September.