RC Lens have released a statement in response to the controversial decision to reschedule their Ligue 1 match against Paris Saint-Germain. The Parisians requested the fixture be moved as it falls between their two Champions League quarter-final matches against Liverpool, with the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) granting their request.

Following that decision, Lens, who were strongly opposed to moving the fixture, have issued an official club statement. It stated: “While expressing its disagreement with the unanimous decision of the LFP Board of Directors to postpone the match against Paris Saint-Germain, RC Lens acknowledges it responsibly, reaffirms its determination to pursue its sporting objectives, and specifies that ticketing arrangements will be communicated individually by email to each supporter.”

Lens’ frustration largely arises from the fact they sit just one point behind PSG in the Ligue 1 title race, with Luis Enrique likely to rotate his squad for the clash given it is sandwiched between their European knockout games.

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The scheduling of matches is another cause for their anger, with Lens facing another two-week break after playing Lille next weekend. And with the fixture pushed back to mid-May, they will play three matches in seven days right at the close of the season.

They may not be quite so close to the defending champions by the time their encounter takes place, especially as PSG have a fixture in hand against Nantes next month.

It is also a setback for Liverpool given the fact that PSG won’t play between facing Arne Slot’s side, while they welcome Fulham to Anfield between the two matches against the European champions.

That fixture is also a crucial one for Liverpool in the battle to secure Champions League football for next season. They currently sit fifth but Chelsea, Brentford, Everton, Fulham, Brighton and Sunderland are all no less than six points behind.

Lens argued their case earlier this week with a statement that read: “On March 6, the scheduling of the match pitting Racing Club de Lens against Paris Saint-Germain was finalised, formalising a framework to which everyone was then invited to adhere.

“In a spirit of responsibility and restraint, Racing Club de Lens, from the very first requests, made it known to Paris Saint-Germain its intention not to see this date changed. True to a certain idea of sporting stability, the club had also chosen to refrain from any public communication on this subject.

“However, the recent proliferation of statements, interventions, and various suggestions now leads us to break from this reserve. It does indeed appear to us that a troubling sentiment is taking hold: that of a French championship gradually relegated to the status of an adjustment variable at the whim of the European imperatives of some.

“However, the recent proliferation of statements, interventions, and various suggestions now leads us to break from this reserve. It does indeed appear to us that a troubling sentiment is taking hold: that of a French championship gradually relegated to the status of an adjustment variable at the whim of the European imperatives of some.

“It would therefore be understood that the tenth budget in the championship should adapt to the demands of the most powerful, in the name of interests that, evidently, now extend beyond the domestic framework, which has already been lightened in recent seasons (L1 reduced to 18 clubs, discontinuation of the Coupe de la Ligue).

“Beyond this particular case, the question raised is more fundamental: that of the respect due to the competition itself. For it is permissible to wonder when, on its own soil, the championship sometimes seems relegated behind other ambitions, however legitimate they may be.

“Racing Club de Lens remains committed to equity, the clarity of rules, and respect for all stakeholders. Simple principles, for a loyal and respected French football.”