PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain wants to postpone its Ligue 1 title clash with Lens because it falls between the Champions League quarterfinal legs against Liverpool.
Lens has rejected moving the April 11 home fixture, saying the French league would be relegated "to accommodate the European ambitions of certain parties."
Click to Gallery
Lens' Sotoca Florian shoots at goal during the French League One soccer game between Lens and Angers, Friday, March 20,2 026, in Lens, France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
PSG's Desire Doue celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the French League One soccer match between Nice and Paris Saint-Germain in Nice, France, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
PSG's Nuno Mendes, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the French League One soccer match between Nice and Paris Saint-Germain in Nice, France, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Lens' Thauvin Florian control the ball during the French League One soccer game between Lens and Angers, Friday, March 20,2 026, in Lens, France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
A decision by the French league is expected on Thursday. The league has previously helped its teams in European competitions.
Ligue 1 is enjoying a close title race. Lens sits one point behind PSG having played one game more.
Their showdown is a thorn for Champions League defending champion PSG, which is scheduled to host Liverpool three days beforehand, and play the return leg at Anfield three days afterward.
The French league previously postponed PSG's home match against Nantes — the game in hand it has on Lens — because it fell between the two last-16 ties against Chelsea. A rested PSG routed Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate.
But while Nantes agreed to reschedule, Lens sees things far differently.
“It appears to us that a worrying sentiment is taking hold: that of a French league gradually being relegated to the status of a mere variable to accommodate the European ambitions of certain parties,” Lens said in a statement posted on X. “This is a peculiar conception of sporting fairness, one that is difficult to find parallels with in other major continental competitions.”
Lens argued that it has the 10th biggest budget in Ligue 1— way behind PSG's colossal spending power — and its smaller squad would be exposed to a hectic schedule. Lens is also playing in the French Cup semifinals on April 21.
“Changing the date of this match today would mean that Lens would be deprived of competition for 15 days, followed by matches every three days,” Lens said. “A schedule that corresponds neither to the one established at the start of the season, nor to the resources of a club that could absorb this type of new constraint without consequence.”
Lens will play three games in eight days during a tough period from April 17-24, facing Toulouse in Ligue 1 and in the French Cup semifinals then at Brest on April 24. That game is scheduled on a Friday rather than over the weekend, which would have afforded Lens more rest.
Lens won its only French title in 1998 compared to a record 13 championships for PSG, which sealed last season's trophy with ease. PSG lost only twice and those defeats came after the title was sealed.
“Beyond this specific case the question raised is more fundamental: that of the respect due to the competition itself,” Lens added. “It is legitimate to question this when, on its own soil, the league sometimes seems relegated behind other ambitions.”
But another factor could weigh against Lens.
Strasbourg reportedly wants its league game at Brest on April 12 rearranged because it falls between its Conference League quarterfinal against German club Mainz.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Lens' Sotoca Florian shoots at goal during the French League One soccer game between Lens and Angers, Friday, March 20,2 026, in Lens, France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
PSG's Desire Doue celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the French League One soccer match between Nice and Paris Saint-Germain in Nice, France, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
PSG's Nuno Mendes, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the French League One soccer match between Nice and Paris Saint-Germain in Nice, France, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Lens' Thauvin Florian control the ball during the French League One soccer game between Lens and Angers, Friday, March 20,2 026, in Lens, France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 24, 2026--
SolComms, an award-winning and high-energy public relations agency for startups and scale-ups across healthcare, consumer, and technology, is proud to have been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026. This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations. The agency ranked number seven in the public relations and brand strategies category for its innovations in earned-first storytelling, advocacy-driven communications, and inclusive internal practices, which have set new benchmarks for what a modern PR agency can achieve for its clients and its people.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260324803420/en/
“We launched SolComms because we believed public relations deserved better — a better reputation, a more strategic approach to collaborating with clients and being true partners, and, most importantly, a return from today’s noise and a focus on good old fashioned storytelling,” said Bruno Solari, CEO and founder of SolComms. “Being named to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list is validation that our thesis of rethinking how PR is done is paying off. I’m proud of our team for producing incredible work year after year, and I have immense gratitude to the clients who continue to partner with us and believe in us.”
The agency is redefining public relations for companies across healthcare, consumer, and technology/artificial intelligence sectors, leveraging storytelling to drive meaningful growth for companies and executives, backed by measurable results that have led clients to acquire marquee customers, raise new rounds of venture capital funding, and exit to larger companies. Beyond strategic public relations, the agency is skilled at driving generative engine optimization (GEO), executive communications and founder led storytelling, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing, and content development. The agency also has a knock for helping clients address societal issues. In a landscape where media narratives shape public perception and policy, SolComms innovates at the intersection of advocacy, education, and brand storytelling, turning client campaigns into catalysts for meaningful social impact
Innovation is not only outward-facing for the agency, but also embedded in how it builds and sustains its culture. Over the past year, the agency has grown its team by more than 39 percent, while driving revenue growth by 21 percent. This growth can be attributed to the company’s initiatives to conduct regular employee engagement surveys, which highlight the agency's strong commitment to building and maintaining culture, camaraderie, and approachable leadership
The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company ’s hallmark franchise and one of its most anticipated editorial efforts of the year. To determine honorees, Fast Company’ s editors and writers review companies driving progress around the world and across industries, evaluating thousands of submissions through a competitive application process. The result is a globe-spanning guide to innovation today, from early-stage startups to some of the most valuable companies in the world.
“Our list of the Most Innovative Companies is about spotlighting organizations that don’t just adapt to change—they drive it,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “The companies we honor this year are redefining what leadership looks like in 2026, pairing bold ideas with measurable impact and turning breakthrough innovation into real-world value. They are setting the pace for their industries and offering a blueprint for what sustained innovation can achieve.”
SolComms’ placement on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies comes on the heels of several award wins for the fast-growing public relations agency. It was recently awarded PRWeek’s Outstanding Small Agency ( honorable mention ) as part of the 2026 PRWeek awards. The agency also had a standout evening at the 2025 PRNews Platinum Awards gala, taking home eight awards, including Agency Elite, Campaign of the Year > B2C, Environment/Sustainability, and Branding Campaign, as well as four People of the Year honors.
The full list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies honorees can now be found at fastcompany.com. It will also be available on newsstands beginning March 31, 2026 .
About SolComms
SolComms is an award-winning integrated communications agency for startups and scale-ups at the intersection of corporate and consumer. Based in New York, NY, the agency launched in 2023 and takes a human-first approach in everything they do, prioritizing empathy, mentorship, and fierce collaboration. Their approach had led them to become the agency of record for cutting-edge companies across healthcare, consumer, and technology verticals, including Atropos Health, Suki, Baked by Melissa, Bogg, Naturepedic, Teal Health, Dutch, and Wisp, among others, while catapulting these companies and their executives into relevancy. Visit https://www.solcomms.co/ or SolComms’ Instagram and LinkedIn for more information.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow business publication Inc. For more information, please visit fastcompany.com.
SolComms
