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Paris Saint-Germain’s bid to rearrange their Ligue 1 showdown with Lens has sparked a major storm in France, all because it sits awkwardly between their Champions League quarter-final legs against Liverpool.
The title clash at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis is currently scheduled for 11 April, just three days after the first leg in Paris and three days before the decisive return at Anfield, leaving Luis Enrique’s side facing three season-defining fixtures in the space of a week.
PSG have therefore formally asked the LFP to move the Lens game to a less congested slot, arguing that a short turnaround would damage their chances of progressing in Europe and, by extension, hurt French football’s reputation on the continental stage.
Now Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, believes that PSG has too much power in Ligue 1 – and that other clubs need to speak up more to rectify the situation:
“PSG’s power rests on the silence of all the others,” he said as quoted by L’Equipe.
“Silence makes you complicit. PSG has power because the others are silent. In other words, if PSG has a lot of power, it’s because a majority of clubs don’t say anything, because they don’t dare. This dynamic must be broken in French football, in my opinion. This does not mean that PSG will not remain the best team in France and that it will not be competitive. But it is not necessary to exercise so much power.”
Tebas added that he also does not agree with PSG’s practices regarding financial fair play:
“I didn’t fight against PSG as a club, but against some of its practices, including the non-respect of financial fair play.”
“We fight against these practices, whether it is a state-owned club or not. It turns out that state-owned clubs, PSG and Manchester City, have caused colossal losses year after year. PSG seems to have recently turned things around. At least, in part. He is on the right track. Better late than never. In addition, I can also criticize the European and world football model that Al-Khelaifi defends. I don’t agree with him.”
All of this has triggered a wider debate about sporting integrity and the influence of France’s richest club.
PSG have countered that similar postponements have been granted in the past to help domestic sides in Europe, citing a rearranged clash with Nantes before their last‑16 tie against Chelsea as precedent.
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