On Tuesday, October 22 at 9pm, Paris Saint-Germain (19th) take on PSV Eindhoven (24th) at the Parc des Princes as part of Matchday 3 of the 2024-2025 Champions League. The match will be played without Dutch supporters, who have been banned from traveling by the French authorities. The Dutch club reacted to this decision:
“The French authorities’ decision was completely unexpected. PSV regrets not only the French authorities’ decision, but also its timing. All the preparations had already been made and many costs incurred. What’s more, Peter Bosz’s team had hoped to be able to count on the support of loyal fans”, comments relayed by L’Equipe.
This decision is also regrettable, as soccer is best played with two teams, and the atmosphere is more exciting with supporters on both sides. In this case, it’s all the more embarrassing that the 2,000 tickets had already been bought by the fans. Everything was ready, the decision could have been taken earlier.
One of the reasons for this would have been a trip to Lens, which went badly wrong last season during the group stage. Unfortunately, the incidents do not encourage the authorities to be more open. Even if these bans remain problematic. One day, we’re going to need a real breakthrough in soccer, but it’s going to be very complicated.
