Dembele could miss Ballon d'Or as PSG-Marseille moves to Monday

Ousmane Dembele faces the prospect of missing the 2025 Ballon dOr ceremony in Paris after Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 match at Marseille was postponed on Sunday because of severe storms and rescheduled for Monday evening, a change that overlaps with the awards event. The rearranged kick-off at the Stade Velodrome was set for 8pm local time 7pm BST, while reports put the Ballon dOr ceremony in Paris at about 8pm CET, with some accounts giving a 7.45pm start, creating a direct timing conflict for PSG players.

Local authorities in the Provence Alpes Cote dAzur region raised an orange alert for flooding and thunderstorms on Sunday, warning that some areas could receive 70 to 90mm of rain and locally as much as 120mm within a few hours. The prefect said the predicted intensity of the storm between 1900 and 2200 made it unsafe to stage the fixture given the tens of thousands of supporters expected. Olympique de Marseille said in a statement that conditions were not right to play, citing concerns for players, supporters and visibility. Under Ligue 1 rules, matches postponed for adverse weather are to be moved to the following day where possible, and the league set the rescheduled...