The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

PSG-Dortmund: after the announcement of the closed session, question time

2020-03-09T21:55:18.092Z


The closed-door hitting the 8th finals return from the Champions League questions the relevance of such a measure and its effects in the t


The measure was inevitable. Since Sunday evening and the new recommendations of the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, the closed session of the Champions League meeting between PSG and Borussia Dortmund, this Wednesday, made little doubt.

Why this camera?

The press release from the Paris police headquarters therefore fell on Monday shortly before noon. “In application of the measures announced in defense counsel yesterday (Sunday) evening, the prefect of Police decided that the match PSG-Dortmund will take place behind closed doors. The match at the Parc des Princes where 47,000 spectators were expected on Wednesday evening fell perfectly into the category of events targeted by the new measures prohibiting "all gatherings of more than 1000 people".

Difficult indeed to explain to the general public that concerts or fairs like that of the tattoo could be canceled, while at the same time the football matches continued to welcome the public. Difficult also to justify that a PSG-Dortmund, as important as it was for the club of the capital, can enter the box of events "useful to the nation" such as the use of public transport or exams. As we mentioned on parisien.fr Sunday evening, the Paris police prefect Didier Lallement has therefore only ratified the new government measures taken to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

OM-PSG and PSG-OL in the viewfinder

These measures, qualified by the Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu, as a new "organizational doctrine" must remain in force, initially, until next April 15. This means that other Paris Saint-Germain matches should be affected by restriction measures. Starting with PSG-Nice next Sunday at the Parc des Princes. This meeting should also take place at least without spectators. It is the prefecture of Paris which will decide, and this could also be valid for the clasico OM-PSG of Sunday March 22 as well as the final of the Coupe de la Ligue between PSG and OL of Saturday April 4 at the Stade de France.

For these last two posters, the evolution of the coronavirus epidemic in the coming weeks in France will allow us to see more clearly. But in all cases, it is the prefects of Bouches-du-Rhône and Seine-Saint-Denis who will decide on the holding of these matches and under what conditions (in camera, postponement or cancellation) based on criteria sanitary and public order.

PSG has decided to reimburse supporters with tickets purchased at the ticket office. LP / Arnaud Journois

What compensation for spectators?

After trying for a week to plead its case with the authorities, and to demonstrate that it could organize this meeting with spectators, the PSG agreed with the prefectural decision. In a press release, the capital's club "takes note" of the closed session and informs its spectators and subscribers that "methods" of compensation will be offered to them.

A priori nothing obliges PSG to reimburse its supporters. However, it has decided to “automatically and fully reimburse the tickets purchased on billetterie.psg.fr, ticketplace.psg.fr or from its sales teams, regardless of any subscription contract. »For« tickets included in a subscription formula », the club« will subsequently inform the holders of the suites it will give to this situation. But it would be surprising if the capital's club did not find the means to compensate its spectators through, for example, promotions on re-subscriptions or other formulas.

What are the economic losses?

Since it will trigger a massive reimbursement policy, the bill for this match behind closed doors will amount to around 5 million euros for PSG. This is roughly what brings a night of Champions League to the club in the capital, knowing that the recipe for a "classic" evening of Ligue 1 is on average 3.5 million euros. These figures can of course vary, and are based on the shortfall for the club in terms of ticketing, dressing rooms, catering, merchandising. They also take into account security expenses, reception of the public, organization that Paris will not have to generate Wednesday evening.

For the champion of France who claims more than 600 million euros of budget, it is a largely bearable loss. But the bad news, as for the other clubs of L1, comes from the very probable recurrence of the closed doors. If other matches were to be played without spectators, the epidemic of coronavirus could ultimately strain the budget of the most powerful club in France. A bad fortune that already affects many SMEs in France.

Who will be at the Parc des Princes?

The Parc des Princes dreamed of effervescence. The pot is unfortunately not about to boil. Three weeks after a first leg match in the heart of a volcanic Signal Iduna Park, it is in a library atmosphere that PSG will play its 8th final against Dortmund. Although the authorities have validated the holding of the meeting behind closed doors, the Park will not be empty of soul Wednesday evening. But only a tiny fraction of the 47,929 seats will be allowed to accommodate a few spectators. If the disciplinary closed doors sometimes offer a little flexibility, this is not the case of this health restriction which, in accordance with the ban on gatherings announced on Sunday by the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, will not exceed 1000 people.

PSG Express

The essential newsletter for Parisian supporters

I'm registering

Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more

A figure which, between the two teams, the enlarged staff, the security and reception staff, reduced but necessary despite the absence of the public, the medical and technical service, the UEFA delegation, the employees of production, cameramen and journalists authorized by UEFA for the event, will quickly approach the ceiling imposed by the prefecture. Monday noon, the Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu therefore clarified that if she had initially planned to attend the meeting, she would not finally go to the Parisian precinct Wednesday evening.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2020-03-09

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.