Scheduled for Monday evening, the match of the twentieth day of L2 between Toulouse and Nancy has been postponed. The river in flood jeopardized the safety of the spectators, the meeting will be played at a later date.
When it’s not the Covid, it’s the weather. While Toulouse and Nancy residents, who had been relatively spared by the virus (respectively one and three positive cases), were to meet yesterday at the end of a 20e day already amputated by three posters, the Garonne has decided otherwise. “The Mayor of Toulouse, on the recommendation of the Civil Security and Major Risks Department of Toulouse, has decided to postpone the match to a later date” wrote the TFC in a press release, published just over four hours before the scheduled kick-off at 8:45 p.m. This is the precautionary principle.
Access to the Island was the problem
Jonnhy Dunal, municipal councilor in charge of civil security at the town hall of Toulouse, explains to La Dépêche: “From 3m60, road access [sur l’île du Ramier, ndlr] are flooded. However, a first peak of 3m80 is expected this Monday (yesterday) around 11 p.m., the time of leaving the Stadium”, where 5,000 spectators were expected (sanitary gauge, ticket offices closed). The meeting was therefore postponed as a safety measure (more traffic lanes), while the Barrière casino, also located on the island of Ramier, had to close its doors at 8 p.m.. And the adjoining university residence, Daniel-Faucher, had to be evacuated.
At the start of the evening, the Professional Football League took note of the decision of the town hall of Toulouse, specifying that the match would be “postponed to a later date which will be determined by the LFP Competitions Commission”.
When ? This is the next question.
At the club, we were confirmed that it will not be today (Tuesday) as provided for in the Regulations of the French championships 2021-2022: “When the match is postponed […] due to bad weather, it is played the next day at a time freely agreed to by the two clubs in the presence of the referee and the main delegate.” It is article 548 which also stipulates – and above all – a precision of importance: “Excluding extreme conditions.”
Almost 4m this Tuesday morning at Pont-Neuf!
And, with the whims of the sky, we are naturally right in it. The Flood Forecasting Service did not envisage, yesterday evening Monday, any improvement for this Tuesday morning despite the return of the bright sun today at the start of the afternoon. Quite the contrary: rather a last peak of Dame Garonne (about 4m at Pont-Neuf), resulting from the different inflows of water – by definition offset; hence the orange flood vigilance maintained “at least” until the morning.
So, in this specific context, what does the LFP then provide? Confer art. 528.
“As a general rule, she will fix the matches (return) postponed to the first available date and, in any event, before the last two days of the championship. Which would mean Wednesday. But, according to our information, the match will not be played on Wednesday either. Nor this week for that matter, the two teams being engaged in L2 on Saturday evening (7 p.m.): the TFC still at home against Pau, the ASNL at Marcel-Picot in front of SC Bastia. It will also be recalled that two consecutive meetings must be separated by “two clear days” (i.e. 48 hours chrono, art. 526).
And the Lorraine delegation in all this? She took off yesterday from Blagnac at 8:30 p.m. to return to her home in the East.
Wednesday, January 19? The most plausible postponement date
As a result, this famous TFC-Nancy which has already caused a lot of ink to flow, if we dare, should compete next week, “first slot in sight”.
Either Tuesday 18. Or Wednesday 19, where yesterday at the League we were told that Amiens-Ajaccio is already rescheduled. It remains for the Competitions Commission to decide, in the very next few days, without forgetting the voice in the chapter that the broadcaster beIN SPORTS will most certainly have.
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