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The NFL told Front Office Sports on Sunday that next weekend’s Saints-Steelers game in Paris remains on as scheduled amid the civil unrest and violence in France that has escalated in recent days.
“We continue to work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters,” the league said in a written statement to FOS. “We are also providing the two clubs with regular updates. There’s been no disruption or impact at league sites.”
The game is scheduled for next Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time (2:30 p.m. Paris time) at Stade de France in Paris. It is the NFL’s first regular season game in France.
The Saints are scheduled to travel Sunday night to France, a team spokesman confirmed.
“We concur with the NFL’s statement and are planning to play the game,” the Saints said in a statement to FOS. “In addition to working closely with the NFL, we have also maintained daily security updates with our security partners in France. Members of our football operations staff and internal security team have been on the ground in France for the past few days and there has been no disruption or impact at any of our team sites.”
The Steelers are scheduled to arrive in France on Friday morning. They declined to comment to FOS beyond the NFL’s statement.
The BBC reported that violence broke out across France amid ongoing protests on Saturday, as at least 1,200 people were arrested. The French government described it as an “escalation in violence,” according to the BBC, which added that an estimated 550,000 people took to the streets. The ongoing demonstrations have been related to the cost of living and spending cuts on education.
Videos from Paris show police using tear gas and a water cannon on crowds.
The NFL initially said last week that the game would proceed as planned.
It’s the sixth of the nine international games on the NFL’s schedule for this season. The Jaguars and Texans played Sunday at Wembley Stadium, the third straight Sunday with an NFL game in London. That’s after the Rams and 49ers played in Melbourne in Week 1 and the Cowboys and Ravens played in Rio de Janeiro in Week 3.
The NFL also has games scheduled in Madrid, Munich, and Mexico City this season.
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