In recent hours, the entire Lens community has come out of silence to oppose in the media, and with force, the request for postponement of the clash against Paris Saint-Germain on April 11 made by the capital club. The Sang-et-Or have published a press release, as has the Lensois supporters association. The boss of the RCL, Joseph Oughourlian, even went there in his post on LinkedIn to tackle the initiative of the Rouge et Bleu. What will the League decide tomorrow? Will she grant the Parisians’ request after having already accepted the same request for the round of 16 against Chelsea? You will have to be patient to be sure.
But for a few minutes, PSG has finally come out of silence on RMC Sportthrough the voice of Luis Campos, to explain his request. If the objective of the reigning French champions is known to everyone (to have more days of recovery between the two quarters), the Portuguese immediately confided that the goal of the Rouge et Bleu was not to wage war against RC Lens. “It’s something that was well thought out, well thought out. (…) We have nothing against Lens, they are good friends. If it had been another opponent, we would also have asked that the match be played on another date”he declared, before explaining that the reason which decided PSG to request a postponement is linked to the history of its opponent. Concretely, Campos ensures that if Paris had played the two matches of its quarter on Tuesday April 7 and Wednesday April 15, no request for postponement would have been made.
The commemoration of the Hillsborough disaster disrupted PSG’s plans
Indeed, this configuration allowed PSG to have four days to prepare for their match in Lens and four days for their quarter-final return at Anfield. At present, if the request for postponement is not successful, PSG will only have three days of rest between its matches (quarter-final first leg on April 8, Lens on the 11th and the quarter-final return on the 14th). “At the start, we would have liked to play the Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool on Tuesday (7) and Wednesday (15), it was more balanced. But as Liverpool cannot play on April 15, we respected history because April 15 is a tragic date for them (the Hillsborough disaster, editor’s note). We respected, as we will respect, what will come from the League. It’s a right we have”he added, recalling that Strasbourg had also made a request and that this did not generate controversy. Finally, Campos explained that the point of the postponement is to put French clubs involved in European Cups in the best conditions, at a time when France is fighting with Portugal to maintain its fifth place in the UEFA index.
“I understand Lens perfectly, but it’s a right for PSG. If we do not make this request, we will also be criticized. We are making a request to protect PSG, we do not hide it, but also to defend French football in the European panorama. This is why Strasbourg does it too. » And for Campos, it is this situation with the UEFA index which explains why the Premier League and the Bundesliga almost never postpone their matches. “They don’t do it, because they are not in the same conditions as the French league which is fighting with the Portuguese league. The French league can lose its fifth place and that can cause a lot of difficulties, not only for PSG, but for the other (French) teams.. While waiting to know the League’s decision tomorrow, not sure that the argument of a postponement decided for the interest of French football in the European Cup will be enough to calm Lens’ anger.
