Over the past week or so, we’ve seen concerns over the spread of the coronavirus impact Paris Saint-Germain matches.
Against Dijon FCO on February 29, children did not walk out with the players, there were no handshakes, and journalists were told to keep a safe distance away from the players.
The Ligue 1 match against Olympique Lyonnais on March 4, went on with some normalcy but the following match against RC Strasbourg, scheduled for March 7, was postponed entirely as the virus spread around Europe.
Concern over the coronavirus eventually led to the decision to play the UEFA Champions League match between PSG and Borussia Dortmund at the Parc des Princes behind closed doors.
Things have only gotten worse and the coronavirus is a full-blown pandemic now. Sports leagues around the world are suspending play and several competitions that PSG are in have come to the same decision.
Here is how the coronavirus has impacted the biggest remaining matches on PSG schedule:
The Coupe de la Ligue final against Lyon was scheduled to take place on April 4, but that match has been postponed with no makeup date set yet. This is the last year of the French league cup so it makes sense that they would want to play the final in front of a packed stadium.
La finale de la Coupe de la Ligue BKT est reportée 🚨
Toutes les infos 📝➡ https://t.co/EarxeiOPnj pic.twitter.com/AIW32pDcif
— Coupe de la Ligue BKT (@CoupeLigueBKT) March 11, 2020
On March 11, the Ligue de Football Professionnel announced that all Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches would be played behind closed doors until April 15. However, on Thursday, it was reported that the LFP will hold a meeting on Friday morning to decide if they should suspend all matches. Considering other leagues around Europe have suspended play, you can bet that we won’t be watching any French football for awhile.
OFFICIAL: The FFF suspends ALL competitions within its jurisdiction. Ligue 1 & Ligue 2 are the LFP’s – emergency meeting tomorrow morning on that topic. https://t.co/eOdN5KD958
— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) March 12, 2020
Finally, the news everyone wants to know now that PSG has qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League is when will the remainder of the Round of 16 matches be completed and when will the next stage begin?
Au vu des développements en cours sur la propagation du Covid-19, l'UEFA a invité des parties prenantes à se concerter sur les mesures à prendre dans le football européen.
Les discussions porteront sur les compétitions nationales et européennes, dont l'UEFA EURO 2020. pic.twitter.com/ZfPWInKN1N
— L'UEFA 🇫🇷 (@UEFAcom_fr) March 12, 2020
As reported by L’Equipe, UEFA plans to announce next Tuesday a temporary end to the Champions League and Europa League as well as moving Euro 2020 to next year.
In regards to the Champions League and Europa League, L’Equipe also reports that those two tournaments may not resume under the same format as before.
According to the French publication, “the last rounds of these competitions will be played in a single match. The meeting place could be neutral ground or be designated by a draw between the clubs which compete from the quarter-finals. It is also possible that a ‘final four’ may pit semi-finalists where the finals are scheduled.”
Whether UEFA makes these changes or not, it will be a very interesting conclusion to the Champions League for the simple fact that when it resumes, the players would likely not have played in a competitive match for close to a month and maybe longer for some teams.
This is truly a season unlike any other.
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