PSG and Rennes set for LFP hearing over reverse fixture after Parc pitch heatwave damage | OneFootball

PSG and Rennes will appear before the LFP competitions commission on 28 August to decide where the return fixture is played, according to L'Équipe. The dispute centres on a late venue change linked to heatwave damage at the Parc des Princes.

In his match‑eve press conference, Luis Enrique said he did not know the exact rules but stressed a basic principle, that opponents should meet once at home and once away, not both in the same setting.

PSG regard the switch as a calendar inversion justified by exceptional circumstances, namely a severe heatwave that damaged the Parc pitch, not a relocation of matchday one. Rennes, forced to stage the marquee Ligue 1 game at short notice, take a different view. Executive president Arnaud Pouille intends to defend Stade Rennais’ interests.

Rennes hope to host Paris again on the weekend of six March. The club also suspects PSG did not fully explore fallback options. Minutes from the competitions commission meeting on 19 August recorded steps taken by PSG with three venues in Île-de-France.

However, neither Stade Français, resident at Stade Jean-Bouin, nor Paris FC, who play Ligue 1 matches there, nor Natural Grass, the pitch contractor, were contacted by PSG. The club says it has spoken to the contractor. Inside Natural Grass, the Jean-Bouin surface was described as affected by the heatwave but still fit to host a Ligue 1 match this weekend.

Source: L'Équipe

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