PARIS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The Ligue 1 match between Paris St Germain and Olympique Lyonnais at the Parc des Princes has been moved from Sunday to Monday, the French top flight said on Friday, after police raised security concerns as the capital prepares for another weekend of protests.
The match will now be played on the same day as the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, with injured PSG pair Ousmane Dembele, the 2025 winner, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia among the contenders for the award.
"The LFP acknowledges the order issued by the Prefecture of Police prohibiting the holding of the PSG-Lyon match ... on Sunday, October 25, at 8:45 p.m., and has decided, in agreement with Ligue 1+, to reschedule the match for Monday, October 26, at 8:30 p.m.," the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) said in a statement.
French authorities will mount a "massive" security operation for demonstrations planned on Saturday, with troops reinforcing police, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday, after rioting and looting swept through Paris and other French cities on October 17.
The security challenge is further complicated by Sunday's NFL regular-season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France, an event expected to require a significant police deployment.
The game will be played in Saint-Denis, about 10 kilometres from Place de la Bastille, where the protests are expected to begin.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he was concerned about the NFL game in Paris.
"I would have said the NFL could have probably postponed that match if you want to know, because France is really in trouble," he told reporters.
Earlier on Friday, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he believed the NFL would have cancelled its first regular-season game in Paris if the situation were unsafe.
The disruptions have already affected France's domestic soccer schedule. Toulouse's Ligue 1 home match against Troyes was moved from Saturday to Sunday at the request of local authorities.
Olympique de Marseille and fellow Ligue 1 club Lille also said their official stores were looted during last weekend's unrest.
The violence, among the worst France has experienced in years, followed weeks of largely peaceful student protests and broader demonstrations over the cost of living and declining public services.
Monday's fixture will bring together two of Ligue 1's early pacesetters. Reigning French and European champions PSG are second in the standings after seven matches, while Lyon lead the table on 14 points, ahead of PSG on goal difference.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris and Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Steve Holland Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
