NFL game in Paris remains scheduled despite protests — The Guardian
The NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints in Saint-Denis, France, is set to take place on Sunday, October 25, despite protests in Paris. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said the league would not hold its first regular-season game in France if the situation were unsafe, The Guardian reports.
Game in Saint-Denis
The game is scheduled at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, about 10 km from central Paris. Four-time NFL Most Valuable Player Rodgers said the league is monitoring the situation in the French capital. According to him, the team would not have arrived in France if holding the game were unsafe.
Last week, the NFL said preparations for the game were continuing on schedule. The league said it was working with local authorities and partners on organizational and security matters, and that there had been no disruptions or other impact from the protests at its facilities.
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Protests and bad weather
Last weekend, France experienced some of the most serious urban unrest in recent years. Demonstrators expressed dissatisfaction with the rising cost of living, deteriorating conditions in public schools and a shortage of teachers. By some estimates, about 800,000 people took part in the demonstrations. On Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron tightened restrictions on protests over concerns about violence during new demonstrations planned for Saturday.
At the request of local police, the French Ligue 1 match between PSG and Lyon, scheduled for Sunday, was postponed until Monday due to security considerations and pressure on law enforcement. The Steelers also cancelled the Steelers House fan event in the Bastille district. The NFL said its temporary store in Paris would be closed on Saturday.
The U.S. State Department urged American citizens to avoid demonstrations and areas of unrest, while advising NFL game attendees to exercise caution and monitor the situation. Preparations for the game were also complicated by bad weather: due to strong winds and rain, the Steelers cancelled a practice at the Stade de France, while the NFL closed the NFL Experience Paris fan event until the end of Friday.
