D1 Arkema: Fleury vs Toulouse postponed as storm Austen hits a second fixture

Kick-off was set for 6pm local time at the Essonne Stadium. A few hours earlier, Fleury 91 published their statement: the home game against Toulouse, part of matchday 6 of the D1 Arkema, France’s women’s top flight, has been postponed to a later date. “Following a travel problem affecting the visiting team,” the club wrote, without saying more.

The statement never mentions the weather. Foot National reports that Toulouse’s flight was cancelled because of the current conditions.

Marville closed by municipal order

On Friday, US Saint-Malo met the same fate against Paris FC. That fixture, scheduled for Saturday at 3pm at the Stade de Marville, fell to an administrative decision: the town of Saint-Malo issued a municipal order banning use of the pitch for the whole weekend. “Due to the weather conditions caused by the passage of storm Austen in the west of the country,” the Breton club explained on its website. So Foot puts gusts above 100 km/h on the Breton coast. Paris FC welcomed a decision taken “to guarantee the safety of everyone involved”.

Two fixtures to reschedule, no dates

The rest of the programme goes ahead. Havre AC vs RC Lens and FC Nantes vs Strasbourg Alsace play at 6pm local time, OL Lyonnes vs Marseille at 9pm. Rescheduling the two lost fixtures falls to the competition organising committee of the LFFP, which will set new dates “shortly”: nothing is settled yet, for Marville or for the Essonne Stadium.

Professional men’s football has escaped so far. Lens vs Paris FC goes ahead this Saturday evening at 8.45pm at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, official team sheets published, and no Ligue 1 fixture is under threat. Further down the pyramid, several sixth-round Coupe de France ties due this weekend are at risk from the storm.