PSG v Dortmund tie behind closed doors due to virus fears

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League last 16 second leg at home to German club Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday will be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak, Paris police said on Monday.

The match will be held without spectators in order to conform with measures adopted by the French government on Sunday to cope with the spread of the virus, a police statement said.

France, with more than 1,100 cases and 19 deaths, has banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people to try and slow the spread of COVID-19, the country’s health minister said.

PSG’s Ligue 1 match at Strasbourg on Saturday had already been postponed due to the extent of the outbreak in the Alsace region of eastern France.

The region of North Rhine Westphalia, where Dortmund is situated, has been the worst hit region in Germany, with close to 500 confirmed infections, according to official data.

Dortmund won the first leg 2-1 at home last month, leaving PSG requiring a second-leg comeback to avoid a fourth straight exit in the first knockout round of the Champions League.