It will therefore be necessary to wait for a few more hours… scheduled this Sunday at the end of the 5th day of Ligue 1, the largest poster of the French championship opposing Olympique de Marseille to Paris Saint-Germain was finally postponed to Monday (8 p.m.). A decision from the Bouches – du -Rhône prefecture and the Professional Football League (LFP) which has not failed to react. Supporters, observers, journalists … All parties logically commented on this choice to say the least.
A major weather risk in the morning
However, from the first hours of the day, the weather reports announced, in the process of the torrential rains, violent thunderstorms and a high risk of flooding in Marseille and its surroundings. Cumulative rain up to 120 mm were expected, especially in the early evening – in the middle of the match. The authorities then quickly estimated that the holding of the meeting, under these conditions, represented a danger for the players, the supervisory staff, but especially for the tens of thousands of supporters expected around and within the confines of the Velodrome.
It was in the middle of the afternoon that the prefect Georges-François Leclerc therefore finally formalized the decision: the match was postponed the next day, Monday September 22 at 8 p.m. The LFP confirmed the news in stride, based on the regulation of the competition (article 548), which provides for this type of reprogramming in the event of major bad weather. “The match is postponed, because there can be strong precipitation with significant risks of urban runoff in and around a velodrome of 65,000 places which promised to be crowded”could we read. A choice caused in the process a few internal tensions between the two clubs.
Logistics reactions and adjustments
Indeed, if PSG wanted the match to take place this Monday at 3 p.m. or 5 p.m., in order to go to Paris then for the ceremony, OM pushed its part for the application of the regulations. And it is this path that the authorities decided to take. Asked a few hours ago, Georges -François Leclerc justified his position. “What motivated the decision is the principle of wisdom. By that I mean that when there are Mediterranean thunderstorms, very violent thunderstorms, when there are risks of Mediterranean vintages, flashy vintage, especially in a city like Marseille, which is a city that you know, which has slopes, with possibilities or risks of streets only urban, the main recommendation that we give that I give my fellow citizens and not to stay at home..
And add: “The settlement of the football league infer that the match will be played 24 hours later. And so when I made my decision, it is common sense that has governed, it is that I prefer that 60,000 people see 24 hours after the match in good conditions rather than in poor conditions, even incoherent and dangerous conditions. I can tell you that they weren't delighted, but they were very correct. They would have preferred the match to be held this evening, but given the information I gave them, and they accepted this decision. Anyway, they had no choice since I made a decree canceling the match. But they were very correct on the form, please believe it ”. Anything that has, anyway, has drawn many logistical adjustments.
A particular context for a poster expected
Already present in Marseille, PSG has chosen to enter the capital in the middle of the afternoon, before returning Monday morning for the meeting. OM, for its part, had to adapt its preparation and delay an internship planned in Rome on Tuesday. In terms of supporters, frustration was also palpable. Many fans had sometimes moved from afar to attend this poster. However and despite the disappointment, the majority of the supporters that we questioned on the spot welcomed a decision tried “responsible”given the weather risks. One thing is certain, this postponement occurs in a calendar already loaded for the two teams, and poses a particular dilemma for certain members of the capital's club, also expected at the Golden Ball ceremony.
For some, it will indeed have to make a choice between individual representation and collective presence in the field of the velodrome. In the meantime, Marseille and Paris will therefore compete on Monday at 8 p.m., in an atmosphere may be even more electric after 24 hours of waiting. This Sunday evening, the Marseille sky has it, anywhere, right to the decision taken in consultation between the prefecture of the Bouches – du -Rhône and the Professional Football League (LFP). And for good reason. If the rain has now stopped, a violent storm episode will have, before that marked the Marseille evening. See you in a few hours when the Vélodrome, if it does not undergo bad weather damage, should be able to accommodate supporters in better conditions and under a milder sky.
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