As the NFL plans its first-ever game in France amid civil unrest, local authorities have postponed a professional soccer game due to concerns about the situation.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday as the country of an estimated 70 million people is currently seeing massive protests against the rising cost of living and diminishing public services.
The soccer game between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Lyon will move from Sunday to Monday evening after the Paris Police Prefecture banned the match from occurring that day.
PSG and Lyon, who compete in Ligue 1, will play at Parc des Princes, an area heavily impacted by protests, according to The Athletic.
Law enforcement made the request because it was concerned upcoming protests this weekend would stretch its resources, the Associated Press reported.
France is preparing for the upcoming protests by deploying an estimated 70,000 police to manage the civil unrest, according to the Guardian.
“We will be uncompromising with rioters, looters and all who commit violence,” said Laurent Nuñez, France’s interior minister, according to the outlet.
The Steelers and Saints will be playing at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a suburb north of Paris. USA Today reported that the stadium is about six miles from the area affected by last week’s protests.
As a precaution, the Steelers announced it would cancel a fan event because of the protests.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told the media this week he was comfortable with the game-day safety preparations.
“We’ve made all the preparations,” Goodell said. “Protests are not unusual in France, and that’s something that we will be aware of and make sure that the appropriate arrangements are made.”
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said at a news conference on Friday that he supported the NFL’s decision to keep the game in France.
“I definitely think that the NFL is alert to what’s going on. This game means a lot to the NFL. If it was unsafe, then I’m sure we wouldn’t be here,” Rodgers said.
President Donald Trump took a different tone than Rodgers, telling reporters on Friday that the “NFL could’ve probably postponed [the] match.”
“France is really in trouble. That’s what happens when you go left. That’s what happens when you allow unlimited numbers of people into your country from very unfriendly countries,” he added.
The State Department issued an updated travel advisory this week for Americans traveling to France. The update says Americans going to the country should “exercise increased caution.”
“Violence and rioting have recently occurred in France and may continue. Avoid demonstrations and areas of unrest. Stay away from areas with large crowds or significant police activity,” the warning said.
“Terrorist groups continue to plan possible attacks in France and may attack with little to no warning. There are also regular, peaceful protests and strikes in Paris and other cities throughout France,” it added.
The protests began in September on a much smaller scale, when students demonstrated over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, and neglected buildings. During last weekend’s protests, over 500,000 people took part, including 110,000 in Paris.
Protesters robbed stores, broke windows, threw objects at law enforcement, and set buildings on fire, including the Limoges City Hall, a 19th-century municipal building in central France.
French law enforcement arrested Hodei Ciarra Docampo for allegedly starting the fire that destroyed the historic building. The U.S. Sun reported that he has a history of “attacking police” and connections to “ultra-Left extremist groups.”
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
