Two Ligue 1 games postponed as protests tie up police

Paris - Two Ligue 1 games in France scheduled for the weekend have been postponed because police resources are required elsewhere, the league (LFP) said Wednesday.

The LFP said one of the games, Saint-Etienne's visit to the southern city of Nice, scheduled for 8:45pm (1945 GMT) on Friday, could be played on Sunday at 5:00pm.

Both teams also had their matches called off last week, ahead of a weekend of "yellow vest" anti-government protests in France that descended into violence in Paris and several other cities.

LFP said it would reschedule the other match, between Nantes, scene of violent demonstrations last weekend, and Montpellier, at a later date.

The league said it had taken the decision "because of current events and the assignment of the police on other missions".

Last Saturday, protests in Nanted by nearly 3,000 people resulted in 13 arrests and injuries to five police officers and three protesters.

Last weekend, six Ligue 1 matches were postponed at the request of local authorities. They are due to be played in midweek on January 15 and 16.

In addition to possible protests, the government have increased security levels following a deadly attack on the Christmas Market in Strasbourg on Tuesday.