AS Saint-Etienne : what impact on pro football? | ASSE News

Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday evening the establishment for a minimum of four weeks of a curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. in Ile-de-France and in eight other metropolises in order to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. What to call into question the pro football matches scheduled for the evening?

We expected it, the President of the Republic confirmed it yesterday evening, a curfew will begin from Saturday and this for a duration of 4 weeks minimum in several metropolises of France. Ile-de-France is concerned, as are the metropolitan areas of Lille, Grenoble, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Montpellier, Rouen, Toulouse and Saint-Etienne.

What about the football matches scheduled for the evening, such as PSG-Manchester United next Tuesday in the Champions League, OM-Bordeaux this Saturday or Lille-Lens on Sunday? No. According to RMC and L’Equipe, this curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. will not prevent professional sports events from being held in the evening, but these will take place without an audience.

The matches will be played, but behind closed doors

“There are exemptions for professional activities, but the matches will be played behind closed doors”, confirmed the Élysée to L’Equipe. Asked by AFP on the possibility of bringing forward the schedules of certain matches to be able to receive a minimum of spectators, the Ministry of Sports explained to him that leagues and clubs could “adapt and modify” their organization.

For amateur football, on the other hand, this curfew must be respected and clubs will no longer be able to welcome their members after 9 p.m. This will force them to advance their training sessions (complicated, especially in the fall) or to cancel them. A new blow for associations and clubs already very affected by this Covid-19 crisis from the start.