Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 game at Strasbourg on Saturday has been postponed over coronavirus fears, the French football league (LFP) announced on Friday.
"Following an order from the Bas-Rhin authorities concerning the spread of the coronavirus, the meeting is postponed," the LFP said in a statement.
It is the first French league match to be postponed because of the new coronavirus.
Strasbourg's Alsace region is one of the worst hit by the coronavirus in France, where 613 cases and nine deaths have been reported. The decision was made after a number of people tested positive for COVID-19 in the Haut-Rhin region, which neighbours the Bas-Rhin region where Strasbourg is located.
"The arrival of 26,000 at the Stade de la Meinau, a quarter of which would come from the Haut-Rhin region, is likely to promote the spread of COVID-19," local authorities said in a statement.
Runaway Ligue 1 leaders PSG will not be too put out by the postponement, as the decision will give them an extra day of rest before their Champions League last-16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
Several other sporting events in the country have been affected.
The Paris marathon, initially scheduled for April 5, has been postponed until October 18 and a number of cycling teams have pulled out of the Paris-Nice stage race that starts on Sunday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
