New Orleans: NFL Confirms Saints-Steelers Paris Game Will Go Ahead With Heightened Security
New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana: The NFL said on October 20 that Sunday's game between the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Stade de France in Paris will go ahead as planned, with security heightened. According to Reuters, a weekend of violence engulfed the French capital, with rioting and looting sweeping through Paris and other French cities on October 17 in some of the worst unrest France has suffered in years; French authorities instituted curfews in several cities on Monday. The unrest followed weeks of largely peaceful, student-led demonstrations over school conditions and the cost of living.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday that officials will mount a "massive" security operation for protests planned on Saturday, with troops reinforcing police. Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's executive vice president of club business, international and league events, said on Tuesday: "We always have a very strong security presence. That presence will be heightened with local authorities, as there is nothing more important from our standpoint than team security, fan security and the security of everybody involved with this game."
The game is the first NFL regular-season game ever held in Paris and part of a record nine-game international slate this season; O'Reilly also said the league is considering adding a 10th international game beginning in 2027. The Saints arrived in Paris on Monday morning; they beat the New York Giants 34-27 on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak and stand at 2-4, while the Steelers are 4-2.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 / Idris2000（法兰西体育场夜景）
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