It’s crazy to think but next week, Paris Saint-Germain could walk out of the tunnel at the Parc des Princes with no supporters in the stands and play a UEFA Champions League match with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.
The worldwide spread of the coronavirus is wreaking havoc on leagues around Europe and there is a very real possibility that PSG’s match against Borussia Dortmund could be played behind closed doors.
According to a report from Le Parisien, the ultimate decision will be made by health and government authorities and not UEFA or PSG.
The only thing we know at this time is that the match will take place on March 11 under normal conditions but that could change by next week.
After the 4-0 win over Dijon last Saturday, Marquinhos was asked about the possibility of playing Dortmund without the supporters and said it “would be a shame” and would prefer to postpone the match.
Fans are equally outraged and according to Romain Mabille, president of the Collectif Ultras Paris, the Ultras will do whatever they have to be inside the Parc des Princes for the Dortmund clash.
“All of the people I meet tell me that they want to go to the Parc, they have no fear,” Mabille told Le Parisien. “We will put on masks and gloves if necessary but we are ready to do anything to go and support our team.”
Other fans, like PSG Talk contributor, Marc Damon, believe that an empty stadium might actually benefit the club as they look to avoid a fourth consecutive Round of 16 exit in the Champions League.
We don’t know how serious his Covid19 is going to get and predicting the future of an infectious disease is impossible. However in the immediate week or so, having these PSG players play this game without distractions and pressure might have a positive effect @PSGTalk
— Marc Damon (@MarcDamon1) March 2, 2020
Hopefully, for international fans planning on traveling to Paris for the match, a decision will be made sooner rather than later.
Personally, I think it would be a huge disadvantage for PSG to have to play such an important match without their supporters while Dortmund had their famous Yellow Wall behind them in the first match.
Safety is obviously the number one concern so for now, we’ll have to wait and see how the news develops.
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