
Lens Fans Escalate Protest Against Ligue 1 Over PSG Match Postponement
Groups of French club Lens fans, comprising 34 supporters' associations, sent an official letter to the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) on Tuesday, protesting the decision by the French Professional Football League (LFP) to postpone their anticipated match against Paris Saint-Germain.
In their memorandum, the associations demanded the cancellation of the decision to reschedule the fixture, considering that the LFP's measure to support the Parisian club in the UEFA Champions League represents an arbitrary application of regulations and directly harms the principle of sporting fairness.
The French League had decided to move the match date from April 11 to May 13, despite Lens' explicit rejection of the change.
The LFP justified its decision by citing the need to support Paris Saint-Germain in the continental competition and to ensure the preservation of the French League's ranking in UEFA's standings.
In their correspondence to the French Olympic Committee, Lens fans affirmed that "it is unacceptable that the integrity of Lens' end-of-season becomes a variable to serve Paris Saint-Germain's European ambitions." They stressed that this postponement was imposed on their club without its consent, thereby harming sporting parity in the competition.
The fans' protests are based on what they described as the unlawful use of Article 411 of the League's competition regulations. Lens fans stated: "Our opposition is based on a clear arbitrary application of Article 411 of the French League's competition regulations."
The protesters believe that this decision distorts the image of the domestic competition by exempting clubs participating in European competitions from national obligations, especially at a time when Lens is the direct challenger to the Parisian team in the title race.
However, current information suggests that the Olympic Committee may not consider the case, as the request did not originate from an official stakeholder in the sport.