The Ballon d’Or ceremony could be without several of Paris Saint-Germain’s biggest names after organisers confirmed that the highly anticipated Le Classique against Marseille has been rescheduled to Monday night due to forecasts of severe storms in southern France.
The change creates a major scheduling headache for PSG, as the match will now clash with the Ballon d’Or ceremony at Paris’ Théâtre du Châtelet, where several of the club’s top players are expected to be honoured.
Among them is Ousmane Dembélé, widely tipped as one of the leading contenders for the men’s Ballon d’Or after helping PSG lift the Champions League in May and the European Super Cup in August.
Nine other PSG players have also been nominated for awards, making the Parisian side the most represented club on the shortlist.
However, with the game now kicking off at the same time in Marseille, players could be forced to prioritise the derby over football’s most prestigious individual awards.
PSG boss Luis Enrique is already without Dembélé and rising star Désiré Doué for the match due to injury, meaning the pair may still be able to attend the ceremony if they choose.
The Bouches-du-Rhône region, where the Vélodrome is located, is currently under an orange alert for heavy rain, flooding and thunderstorms, prompting officials to postpone Sunday’s fixture to avoid safety risks.
The clash between club duty and football’s glitziest awards night comes a year after Real Madrid overshadowed the 2024 ceremony by boycotting it in protest of Vinícius Júnior missing out on the top prize to Manchester City’s Rodri. This time, PSG’s potential absence would be for entirely different reasons — a fixture reshuffle rather than protest.
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