Saints vs. Steelers in Paris (Imagn Images)
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said up to 70,000 officers will be deployed Saturday. The Steelers are 4-2, the Saints 2-4.
Still, the league says Sunday’s game at Stade de France will go ahead. NFL House in Paris has closed, one day after the league shut its pop-up shop, as France prepares for another round of nationwide protests. The league cited possible accessibility issues. The Steelers have already canceled their fan event in Bastille, and the Saints moved theirs to Sunday. It will be the NFL’s first regular-season game in France.
18, it said, “There’s been no disruption or impact at league sites. Authorities closed 24 metro stations, the Louvre and the Orsay Museum.
“Following recent events in the Bastille neighborhood, and after careful consideration, we felt it appropriate not to move forward with the planned Steelers House fan event in Paris,” the team told fans. Nicki Ewell, the NFL’s vice president for global events, said that day no league fan events had been affected. State Department urged “Americans in Paris for the NFL game” to “exercise caution and be aware of their surroundings. Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday, “We’ve made all the preparations. Peter O’Reilly, the league’s executive vice president for club business, said canceling or moving the game was never seriously considered.
The timing is awkward for the league. On Oct. By Saturday, the league’s own pop-up shop and NFL House were closed too. The U.S. He added, “Protests are not unusual in France, as you know, and that’s something that we will be aware of and make sure that the appropriate arrangements are made.
On Thursday, the Steelers canceled Steelers House, a bar event in Bastille. Police approved one march on Saturday, from Bastille to Nation, and banned every other demonstration in Paris. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Goodell, Saints owner Gayle Benson and Steelers president Art Rooney II at the Élysée Palace to discuss the game and the NFL’s long-term future in Paris.