PSG's Ligue 1 clash with Lyon moved to Monday, forcing squad to skip Ballon d'Or ceremony

Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 fixture against Lyon at the Parc des Princes has been moved from Sunday to Monday evening, with the rescheduled 8:30pm kick-off clashing directly with the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London — leaving the club’s nominated players unable to attend.

French authorities cited security concerns as the reason for the change, with as many as 70,000 officers set to be deployed across Paris on Saturday in response to recent civil unrest. The city is also hosting an NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France on Sunday afternoon, adding further pressure on police resources.

PSG have an unusually large presence on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, with ten players nominated for the men’s award: Ousmane Dembele — last year’s winner — Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Vitinha. Warren Zaire-Emery is shortlisted for the men’s young talent of the year award, goalkeeper Matvey Safonov is nominated in his category, and manager Luis Enrique is up for men’s coach of the year.

Three of those nominees may yet make it to London, however. Dembele, Kvaratskhelia and club captain Marquinhos are all currently sidelined with injuries, freeing them from the match-day obligation. PSG confirmed this week that Kvaratskhelia ruptured his ACL during the Champions League win over Barcelona, casting serious doubt over the Georgian winger’s availability for the remainder of the season.