Tuesday’s gas leak at a chemical plant in northern France, which left local people complaining of feeling sick, has forced the postponement of a French Cup tie between Rouen and Marseille, the host club revealed.
“Following the gas leak at the Lubrizol factory the prefect for the Seine-Maritime (department) passed a prefectoral decree calling off the round-of-32 match against Olympique Marseille initially slated for this evening at 2055 (1955 GMT),” Rouen said.
Departmental prefecture head of cabinet Florence Gouache explained the postponement was a precautionary measure.
“We did not want to find ourselves with 10,000 fans two kilometres from the factory and with no means of confining them or evacuating them if necessary,” Gouache told AFP.
The French Football Federation (FFF) said it agreed to the postponement after discussions with the prefectural office, noting the chemical plant was “very” close to the Rouen stadium at Petit-Quevilly, just outside the city.
The FFF added a date had not yet been set for a rescheduled match, saying only a decision could come later Tuesday.
Rouen director general David Ducci ruled out a game on Wednesday, telling AFP that “the middle of next week” was likelier.
Marseille players took to social media to give their reaction, striker Andre-Pierre Gignac tweeting: “Match postponed – going home!! Early morning wake-up call for nothing!!”
Marseille’s English midfielder and Twitter enthusiast Joey Barton added: “Just got all the way to Rouen. Game called off. Hahaha. Back on the plane. Ah well, it’s not the end of the world.”
The leak in the picturesque Normandy city caused a stench which wafted as far as Paris some 100km (60 miles) away, leaving many people in the region complaining of sickness and headaches.
However, authorities insisted the gas, mercaptan, was harmless.
The two teams learned of the postponement shortly after midday (1100 GMT) and a Marseille spokesman said the first division giants would return home later in the day pending agreement on a new date to face their third tier opponents.
Snow had already threatened the game – a 12,000 sellout – although a Monday pitch inspection had led to the match being given the go-ahead prior to the gas leak.
Gas leak forces Marseille Cup postponement
