Nantes fans erupt in fury as PSG's match postponement is approved, igniting accusations of favoritism and sacrificing club interests for Champions League ambitions.
Initially scheduled for the weekend of March 14-15, the PSG vs. Nantes match in the 26th round of Ligue 1 was postponed to the week of April 20 by the LFP at PSG's request, with the agreement of FC Nantes. A decision that provoked the anger of the Nantes supporter groups.
The postponement of the PSG vs. Nantes match of the 26th round of Ligue 1 is going down badly among Nantes supporters. In a statement published on its social networks, the Collectif Supporters Nantais (which brings together the main Nantes supporter groups) expressed outrage at the LFP's decision to accept this postponement.
PSG requested a postponement to rest between its two Champions League round of 16 matches against Chelsea.
"We learned with astonishment of the postponement of the match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Nantes to a later date, decided for the sole purpose of favoring PSG in its double confrontation against Chelsea in the Champions League," the Nantes collective indignantly wrote.
"This is not an isolated case. Last season, the PSG reception at La Beaujoire was moved for the same reasons. The exception is becoming the norm. French clubs must serve PSG's interests."
Second-to-last in Ligue 1, FC Nantes will host Angers this Saturday before having a two-week gap. The exact new date for PSG vs. Nantes has not yet been set, but the match will be played the week of April 20, probably on Wednesday, April 22, between PSG vs. Lyon and Angers vs. PSG, and between Nantes vs. Brest and Rennes vs. Nantes.
For the Canaries, who are fighting for survival, this is obviously not ideal, and the Nantes supporters are especially angry at their management, which is already tense with them, for having accepted PSG's request.
"If the French football authorities have chosen, for a long time, to serve PSG's interests, the leaders of FC Nantes have, for their part, the duty to defend ours. Accepting this postponement amounts to sacrificing the club for the exclusive benefit of another," raged the Collectif Supporters Nantais, before asking their club's management "a clear, firm and public stance."
This statement dates from last Saturday, and the FC Nantes management has not yet publicly responded to it.
Join The Conversation
Roundtablesports is Free to join! You can post your own thoughts, comment on articles, and start conversations with our Roundtable Writers.
Download the FREE Roundtable APP, and get even easier access to your favorite teams and news!