Organizers face a headache. The schedule for the 27th day of the French football championship, planned for the weekend of March 20 to 22, was announced on Wednesday. However, one match is missing, the match between Olympique de Marseille and Lille. The Professional Football League (LFP) announced that it “will be rescheduled as soon as possible.”
Chosen as the premier match for Ligue 1 +, the showdown was supposed to take place on Sunday, March 22 at 8:45 pm as the highlight of the day. The problem is that the second round of municipal elections is also scheduled for the same day. According to reports, the Professional Football League was not allowed by the Ministry of the Interior and the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture to schedule the match at that time.
Tensions are rising ahead of the elections in Marseille. Authorities simply fear disturbances around the Vélodrome stadium, possibly related to the election results expected at 8 pm. The municipal elections in Marseille are highly contested and the latest polls suggest a close race between the current socialist mayor Benoît Payan (35% of voting intentions) and the candidate from the National Rally, Franck Allisio (32% of voting intentions).
Due to Lille’s Europa League match against Aston Villa the previous Thursday, OM-Lille can only be played on Sunday. In an attempt to find a solution, the LFP proposed to the authorities to organize the match between the two teams a few hours earlier, as part of the 5:15 pm multiplex with Rennes-Metz and Paris FC-Le Havre.
The LFP now awaits approval from the authorities, knowing that the final whistle will blow just an hour before the new mayor of the city is announced. The day of Sunday, March 22, is expected to be eventful in the Phocaean city.
