The NFL closed its “NFL House” in Paris on Saturday as the city prepared for street protests with a heavy police presence and shuttered storefronts.
The league announced the closure to fans Saturday morning via its “OnePass” app, a day after announcing its NFL pop-up store would also be closed Saturday — in both cases citing “potential accessibility issues.”
Security concerns overshadowed the NFL’s debut in Paris. The New Orleans Saints will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Stade de France in the league’s first regular season game in France.
Also Saturday, the Saints announced that “House of Saints has been postponed until Sunday.”
Events scheduled for Saturday at NFL House included “French Athletes in Football” and “From the Field to the Community.”
“I was looking forward to seeing some of the facilities they had – they were going to get the Lombardi Trophy,” fan Nick Paiva said.
Major museums, including the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, were closed on Saturday, although tourists queued to enter Notre-Dame Cathedral. French authorities were determined to prevent a repeat of recent violent unrest.
The disorder has also disrupted French football, with Sunday’s Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon postponed until Monday at the request of local police, who cited security concerns and pressure on resources.
The US State Department issued a security alert this week warning “Americans in Paris for the NFL game” to “exercise caution and be aware of their surroundings” due to the protests.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week that preparations were made in consultation with U.S. and French authorities. Street protests, he said, “are not unusual in France.”
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Friday he’s confident the game will go as planned. “I definitely think the NFL is paying attention to what’s going on,” the four-time MVP said. “This game means a lot to the NFL. If it wasn’t safe, I’m sure we wouldn’t be here.”
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Goodell, Saints owner Gayle Benson and Steelers owner Art Rooney II at the Élysée on Friday to “discuss Sunday’s game and the long-term future of the NFL in Paris.”
The NFL announced Friday that its downtown pop-up store would be closed on Saturday but that fans could use an alternative store at the Stade de France, north of the city of Saint-Denis.
A weekend event for Steelers fans was canceled Thursday due to security concerns.
Paiva, an American living in France, wanted to visit the NFL House, where his French partner could learn more about the sport.
He also expected to participate in the “Hail Mary on the Seine” league activation, in which fans attempt to throw a soccer ball across the famous waterway near Notre Dame. Although he was registered, Paiva was informed on the site that he must also have reserved a time slot.
“It wasn’t communicated very well,” he said after being turned away. “It’s like this, it’s like this.”
French teenager Oskar Le Gall, wearing a Bryce Young jersey, tried his luck. His throw was a little short. A worker on the other side remained busy collecting bales from the river with a long pole fitted with a net.
Le Gall, originally from Brittany, said the “NFL atmosphere in Paris is incredible,” noting that French sports leagues and teams don’t typically promote as much.
Le Gall and his brother were monitoring the planned route of Saturday’s protests.
“It doesn’t feel calm or good to be a tourist in Paris,” he said. “It’s not good for the NFL.”
At one point during the Hail Mary event, 11 state police vans, with their emergency lights flashing, passed on the street above as a fan prepared to throw a ball.
Steelers fan Monika Allen was able to avoid any protests thanks to advice posted in fan-run Facebook groups.
“The fans are doing a good job staying informed about where to be and where not to be,” Allen said near the Hail Mary event.
His cousin, Viktor Toth, wore his black Terry Bradshaw Steelers jersey.
“We’re not worried,” she said. “My cousin is Hungarian, so he knows that demonstrations take place regularly in Paris. »
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