Perennial French champions PSG have been successful with an attempt to postpone the club's potential title-decider against RC Lens in Ligue 1 next month.
Lens opposed PSG's application to postpone their match on April 11, which was scheduled to be played between PSG's two-legged affair against Liverpool in the Champions League.
Title-chasing Lens are one point behind PSG in the Ligue 1 standings and understandably opposed to PSG moving another of their domestic fixtures, seemingly for the benefit of their performance in Europe.
PSG chief in hot water over Hillsborough argument
Between the two legs of the Champions League Round of 16 against Chelsea, PSG's Ligue 1 fixture against Nantes was postponed to 'allow for greater recovery time'.
Lens have argued that Ligue 1 risks being "gradually relegated to the status of an adjustment variable at the whim of the European imperatives of some", in a statement published earlier this week. The decision, however, has been made by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) to postpone the match on April 11.
PSG sporting director Luis Campos has added fuel to the fire, dragging Liverpool into the discussion by intimating that PSG's current schedule was not permissible because the Reds cannot be expected to play on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
“At first, we would have liked to play the UCL on Tuesday [April 7], then on Wednesday [April 15]. But Liverpool can’t play on April 15, we had to respect their history, because it’s a tragic date for the club," he told RMC Sport.
Campos also argued that France’s fifth spot in the UEFA co-efficient standings is also at risk, therefore should warrant additional days rest for Luis Enrique’s side.
Following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, Liverpool made a formal request to avoid being scheduled for fixtures on the anniversary of the tragedy out of respect for the 97 victims and their families. Since 1989, there has never been a senior competitive Liverpool match played on April 15.
However, for Campos to use the disaster as an excuse for PSG's postponement request is tasteless, or at the very least fails to understand the cultural impact.
Following the LFP's decision, PSG welcome Liverpool to Parc des Princes on Wednesday, April 7, before having a fixture-free weekend ahead of the return leg. The team will then make the journey to Liverpool on Tuesday, April 14.
It was Campos and PSG's argument that the original turnaround between fixtures was too tight, and therefore a postponement of the Lens game was required.
PSG's visit to Lens will now be rearranged for a later date.
