PSG v Rennes, Rennes still furious, appeal to CNOSF

In partnership with

Parisfans.fr

·15 September 2026

PSG v Rennes, Rennes still furious, appeal to CNOSF

Stade Rennais is refusing to let the PSG/Rennes case rest there. After the first-leg switch and the decision to hold the return match at the Parc des Princes, the Breton club has taken the matter to the CNOSF. According to L’Équipe, Rennes believes it has been wronged, notably after agreeing to help Paris Saint-Germain out in an emergency.

Rennes believes it did a favor only to end up being penalized

“In this matter, Rennes believes it has been wronged after agreeing to reorganize within four days to host PSG and disappoint its supporters who were on holiday, thinking it would not change anything about the return match, which was scheduled for Roazhon Park. The Rennes club also believes that if PSG has been fined, it is precisely because it failed to fulfill its obligations. And that there is therefore no reason why Rennes should be forced to travel to Paris in March.”

Rennes’ argument is fairly straightforward. The Breton club had agreed to disrupt its organization to allow the August 23 match to go ahead, which was ultimately played at Roazhon Park and ended in a 2-2 draw. A few days later, however, the LFP formally approved the reversal of the two matches, while also fining PSG €150,000 for failing to provide a playable pitch. It is precisely this combination that Rennes considers hard to accept.

OneFootball Videos

The Parisian justification also being challenged

“The Breton club also rejects the idea of the ‘exceptional circumstance’ invoked by PSG because of this summer’s heatwave. On the contrary, it believes that heat episodes cannot automatically be treated as an exceptional circumstance absolving Paris of responsibility for organizing its match. Especially since PSG reportedly made very little effort to find a fallback solution.”

Rennes is therefore not only challenging the consequence of the decision, but also its basis. For its part, the LFP is defending the principle that each club must play the same number of matches at home as away, and points out that Rennes could have refused the first-leg switch, in which case the match would have been postponed. The CNOSF must now review the case again and issue an opinion, which the League will remain free to follow or not.

Rennes’ position is understandable, particularly in light of the effort it made to host the match at short notice. But it is not entirely beyond dispute. The LFP points out that Rennes could have refused the first-leg switch, which would have led to a postponement, and defends a simple logic: if the first leg was moved to Rennes, the return leg must be moved to Paris in order to preserve the balance between home and away matches. In other words, Stade Rennais may consider itself wronged, but it also accepted the initial principle that set this whole process in motion. The appeal to the CNOSF will mainly determine whether this sporting logic is enough to offset the concrete consequences suffered by the Breton club.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.