Lille president Olivier Létang voices security concerns before Marseille trip | OneFootball

Lille president Olivier Létang has again raised concerns over the scheduling of Olympique de Marseille’s upcoming Ligue 1 meeting with LOSC, questioning whether the security arrangements surrounding the fixture are coherent.

The Matchday 27 clash at the Orange Vélodrome was originally scheduled for Sunday evening (20:45 CET) but has since been moved to an earlier 17:15 CET kick-off following discussions between the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the French Interior Ministry and the Prefecture of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.

Speaking over the weekend, the LOSC president reiterated that the earlier start time could still see Lille’s players and staff leaving the stadium just as tensions related to the election results peak.

“If the police authorities say it is too dangerous to play at 20:45, why would it be safer for our delegation to leave the stadium around 20:30 or 21:00?” Létang asked, speaking to L’Équipe.

The Lille chief had previously requested that the fixture be postponed entirely, suggesting alternative dates in late April that would coincide with the Coupe de France semi-final window. That request was rejected by the LFP, which cited a congested calendar at the time.Lille manager Bruno Génésio also acknowledged the sporting impact of the revised schedule. With LOSC facing Aston Villa FC away in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night, the earlier kick-off reduces the team’s recovery window ahead of the trip to Marseille.

“It’s not ideal,” Génésio admitted. “Playing Thursday at 21:00 and then Sunday at 17:00 reduces the recovery time. But we’ve managed similar situations before.”GFFN | George Boxall