Lens secured a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain to win the Trophee des Champions thanks to a goal from Florian Thauvin. However, the French governing body LFP has faced fierce criticism for staging the fixture at Lens' home stadium despite rules stipulating a neutral venue.

Lens win trophy amid venue controversy

Lens started their season by lifting the Trophee des Champions following a 1-0 victory over PSG. Thauvin scored the decisive goal for the Sang et Or, who held on despite playing through a lengthy numerical disadvantage.

However, the result has been completely overshadowed by intense criticism directed towards the LFP regarding the organisation of the match. While the showcase is meant to take place on neutral ground, the French governing body opted to stage the fixture at Lens' home ground, Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

The decision to host the match at Bollaert handed Lens an overwhelming advantage against Les Parisiens. According to Madein Foot, around 95 per cent of the stadium was filled with Lens supporters, while PSG fans were restricted to just 1,850 tickets in the away section.

The match-day atmosphere mirrored a standard home fixture for the northern club rather than a neutral showpiece. The LFP further heightened the controversy by keeping Lens' traditional pre-match and half-time entertainment in place throughout the event.

LFP organisation comes under heavy scrutiny

The setup stood in stark contrast to the 2023 edition of the competition between PSG and Toulouse at the Parc des Princes. On that occasion, the LFP ensured a neutral match presentation and implemented a strict 50-50 crowd distribution between both sets of supporters. This latest organisational blunder comes nearly a year after previous disputes surrounding a postponed fixture between PSG and Lens. The same report also said that both LFP president Vincent Labrune and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi notably absent from Bollaert.

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What comes next?

While Lens celebrate their triumph over Les Parisiens, the fallout from the organisation of the match will continue to hang over the LFP. The decision to bypass neutral venue rules has reignited debate surrounding the governance and fairness of domestic competitions. The governing body now faces growing pressure to address its choice of host stadium for future editions. (GOAL)

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