NFL says the Saints and Steelers will play as scheduled in Paris despite the unrest
The league said on Sunday, Oct. 18, that preparations for the Oct. 25 game at the Stade de France are continuing on schedule, and the Saints, who were due in Paris early Monday, say their own staff on the ground has seen no disruption at team sites.
NEW ORLEANS: The Saints next game is in Paris, and as of Sunday, Oct. 18, it is still happening. The NFL said Sunday that the game between New Orleans and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Stade de France remains on its scheduled date, Sunday, Oct. 25, despite days of civil unrest in France, according to the Associated Press report carried by Sportsnet.
The game is a first for the league: the first NFL regular-season game played in France, according to the AP report and USA Today. The Saints are the designated home team at the stadium in Saint-Denis, and kickoff is set for 8:30 a.m. Central, according to the Saints recap of the Giants game. A week of fan events is also planned around the game, according to the AP report.
What the league and the Saints said Sunday
In its statement on Sunday, the league said preparations for the game and its events were continuing as scheduled, that it was working with local authorities and partners on operations and security, and that the two clubs were receiving regular updates, according to the AP report. The league also said there had been no disruption or impact at its sites in France.
The Saints backed the league position the same day. Saints executive Greg Bensel said the club agreed with the league statement and was planning to play the game, and that the team had been getting daily security updates from its partners in France, according to The Spun. Bensel also said members of the football operations staff and the internal security team had been in France for several days already, with no disruption at any team site.
A straight line from MetLife to Paris
The travel plan left no time for a stop at home. The Saints were scheduled to arrive in Paris early on Monday, Oct. 19, according to the AP report, and USA Today reported the team was scheduled to fly from the New York area to Paris after the Giants game rather than returning to New Orleans. The Steelers travel later in the week, according to the AP report.
The backdrop is a wave of protests across France over the cost of living and conditions in schools, which the AP report says has included rioting and looting. In Paris on Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered again at the Place de la Republique under a heavy police presence, officers used tear gas as tensions flared, and looting and damage were reported in tourist and shopping districts, according to the AP report. Paris police said 855 people were arrested in the capital region, according to the AP report.
None of that, as of Sunday, had touched the game sites, and the league said its preparations were continuing, according to the AP report. For the Saints, the football question follows the logistical one: a team that just ended a three-game losing streak on the road now holds its home game on another continent, against a Steelers team that arrives later in the week with less time to adjust.
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