Lens reject PSG proposal to postpone top-of-the-table Ligue 1 clash to boost preparations for Liverpool Champions League showdown

Lens released an official statement on X, which reads: "On 6 March, the scheduling of the fixture between Racing Club de Lens and Paris Saint-Germain was finalised, establishing a framework that all parties were expected to adhere to. In a spirit of responsibility and restraint, Racing Club de Lens made its intention not to see this date modified known to Paris Saint-Germain from the very first solicitations. Committed to the principle of sporting stability, the club also chose to refrain from any public communication on the matter. However, the recent surge in public statements, interventions, and various suggestions has led us to break this reserve today.

"It appears to us that a concerning sentiment is beginning to take hold: that of a French championship being progressively relegated to the status of a mere 'adjustment variable' at the mercy of the European imperatives of a few. This is a singular conception of sporting equity, the likes of which are difficult to find in other major continental competitions. Modifying the date of this match now would mean Racing Club de Lens being deprived of competition for 15 days, only to then be forced into a run of games every three days - a rhythm that corresponds neither to the schedule defined at the start of the season, nor to the resources of a club expected to absorb such new constraints without consequence.

"It would therefore be understood that the championship's tenth-largest budget must adapt to the demands of the most powerful, in the name of interests that clearly now transcend the domestic framework - a framework that has already been lightened in recent seasons (Ligue 1 reduced to 18 clubs, the abolition of the Coupe de la Ligue). Beyond this specific case, a more essential question is being posed: that of the respect due to the competition itself. One must wonder when, on its own soil, the championship sometimes seems relegated behind other ambitions, however legitimate they may be. Racing Club de Lens remains committed to equity, clarity of rules, and respect for all stakeholders. These are simple principles for a French football that is fair and respected."

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