Coupe clash postponed
05/02/2012
The weather has already claimed its first victim of the Coupe de France last 16 ties scheduled for this midweek, with Dijon’s home clash against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday postponed.
A statement on the Dijon FCO official website simply blamed the weather for calling off the match. Extremely cold, if clear, conditions are forecast for Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures expected to hover between -5 and -9 degrees in the capital of Burgundy. The tie will now be played at a later date.
"It's cold and it is going to get colder," said Dijon coach Patrice Carteron. "I think it's going to be difficult to play this week, because the pitch - even although it has been covered since the Valenciennes game - is still frozen."
Dijon’s home league clash with Valenciennes went ahead on Saturday despite the conditions, although it was brought forward to an afternoon kick-off, with Valenciennes winning 2-1. However, Saint-Etienne’s game against Lorient was abandoned after just nine minutes, while Sunday afternoon’s games between Caen and Auxerre and Sochaux and Lille were postponed.
The French Football Federation said on Sunday that a decision about the remaining last-16 ties scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday will be made on Monday.