Sunday evening's French league opener between Paris Saint-Germain and Rennes has been switched at short notice, moving from the Parc des Princes to Rennes's own stadium because of the poor state of the Parisian pitch.
PSG were set to host Rennes in one of the first big clashes of the new season. The intense heatwave that hit the French capital wrecked the surface of the Parc des Princes, throwing the original time and venue into doubt.
According to RMC, the French football league faced two options if the pitch was confirmed unfit: postpone the match to a later date, or move it to Rennes and keep the scheduled kick-off.
They settled on the second solution. The match will now be held in Rennes on Sunday evening.
Paris did not find an alternative stadium
RMC report that Paris Saint-Germain tried to find an alternative stadium in the Île-de-France region but could not track down a suitable venue.
The Parisian club then contacted Rennes officials to ask whether they could stage the match at their ground. Rennes agreed, even though the decision landed them with complex logistical and organisational arrangements at short notice.
Postponement was the outcome Rennes wanted to avoid, especially as it would have added to the team's already congested schedule given their European commitments and their preparations for the new campaign.
Potential financial and organisational losses
Shifting the match to Rennes brings significant challenges for the French club. They will have to reorganise ticket sales, hospitality spaces and VIP areas, and the switch also hits season ticket holders who may now be unable to attend.
Then there are the costs the club had already sunk into preparing to play in Paris, from travel and accommodation arrangements to other logistical expenses.
Will the return match also be held in Rennes?
The biggest debate concerns the fate of the return match between the two sides.
Rennes insist that what has happened is not an official "swap" of the home and away fixtures, but simply a relocation of the first leg to their stadium as an emergency fix due to the unfitness of Paris Saint-Germain's pitch.
On that basis, the club believe the return match should be played at their stadium as originally scheduled, in line with the French league's regulations, and that moving Sunday's game does not automatically mean an official switch between the two encounters.
The French league's competitions committee is expected to examine the situation and take the final decision, while Rennes intend to defend their right to host the return match as it appeared in the original fixture list.
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