Paris Saint-Germain advisor Luis Campos has defended the team’s attempt to postpone a domestic meeting with Lens in between the two legs of their Champions League quarterfinal against Liverpool, claiming they were forced to do so in order to respect the Reds’ tributes to those who lost their lives in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
A total of 97 people died as a result of the tragic events of April 15, 1989, during an FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield’s Hillsborough Stadium. It is one of the most significant events in club history and the subject of emotional tributes every year on its anniversary.
Liverpool’s quarterfinal games against PSG are scheduled for April 8 and April 14, much to the frustration of the French side, who wanted the two games played on April 7 and April 15 to give them enough rest either side of a crunch Ligue 1 game against title challengers Lens on April 11.
Campos appeared to suggest that PSG would have requested such a change had it not been for the significance of April 15 to Liverpool, leaving them with no choice but to pursue the postponement of the Lens game—a demand which was strongly opposed by Lens.
What Did Luis Campos Say?
Campos’s argument stems from a desire to “protect” Ligue 1 in the battle for an extra Champions League qualification spot.
A deeper run in the competition would help France’s standing in UEFA’s rankings, and extra rest would obviously be a boost to their chances of victory, as it was in the round of 16 when PSG saw a game against Nantes postponed in between their two meetings with Chelsea. Whether they actually needed that advantage to beat the Blues is a different story.
“Initially, we would have liked to play the Champions League on Tuesday [April 7], then on Wednesday [April 15],” he told RMC Sport.
“But since Liverpool cannot play on April 15, we respected Liverpool’s history because it is a tragic date for the club.
“Our idea has always been to defend not only PSG but also French football in the current context of the fifth-place finish. Ligue 1 is in a position to lose its fifth place, and that will pose problems not only for PSG but for all French teams.”
PSG Awarded Controversial Fixture Postponement
PSG currently sit just one point above Lens in the Ligue 1 standings, although they do hold a game in hand after their previous postponement.
It is clearly a huge fixture in the French season and Lens have been incredibly vocal in their anger towards the postponement request. Unfortunately for Pierre Sage’s side, France’s Professional Football League (LFP) has accepted PSG’s request and postponed the fixture, per L’Équipe.
Lens can still appeal the ruling but the LFP insists it acts in the best interest of all French teams which, in this case, is the attempt to boost France’s ranking in the eyes of UEFA.
Postponement of the fixture means PSG will now have a full week to recover between the two games against Liverpool. Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s outfit are due to face Fulham on April 11, the same date as PSG’s game against Lens was booked.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as PSG Chief Uses Hillsborough Disaster to Justify Postponement Before Liverpool Clash.
