Saints game, Louisiana events proceed despite France riots | Business

Louisiana officials, league executives and New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson remained confident Tuesday that the first-ever NFL game in Paris, along with the whirlwind series of pre-game festivities and business events, will go on safely as planned despite the recent unrest across France.

The team flew straight to France after their win over the Giants in New York on Sunday, the same day that President Emmanuel Macron was addressing his country after riots engulfed Paris and other cities. Gov. Jeff Landry, Mayor Helena Moreno, other local state and local leaders and thousands of Saints fans are also arriving in the country.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the major events leading up to the game — and the game itself, set for Sunday morning in the Stade de France four miles north of Paris — are on schedule.

“We do not have any concerns,” said Benson during a phone interview as she was making her way to the airport Monday afternoon. She said that she’s been kept up to date on the situation in France by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, who has been in contact with high level officials in both countries.

Brett Gosper, the head of Europe and Asia-Pacific for the NFL, said during an interview in Paris on Tuesday that there’s no contingency plan to move the Saints game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to a different site and that the unrest isn’t expected to affect game logistics.

“All systems go — totally all systems go,” Gosper said.

The remarks came after a weekend of intense protests across the country. Groups set fires in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities. The violence followed nationwide protests Saturday against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

French authorities estimated Monday said that 2,400 people had been arrested and that at least 3,000 businesses had been damaged or looted in several cities. And on Monday night, local authorities issued an overnight curfew in two Parisian neighborhoods in an effort to tamp down any additional violence.

Busy schedule

The unrest has threatened to upend a carefully planned rollout of events surrounding the NFL matchup, the first-ever in Paris. For the league, the game is part of a long-term play to grow its international fan base.

And the Saints, who control the marketing rights in the country and secured the chance to play in Paris two years ago, have spent much of the past year ramping up for the game with grassroots outreach that includes in-person appearances by team members and the creation of flag football leagues.

Meanwhile, Louisiana’s economic development arm and several local businesses are seizing the opportunity to connect with European companies and executives.

On Tuesday, officials with LED were preparing for a daylong business expo, Louisiana Now, modeled after a similar event held before the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans. The event is scheduled for Friday at one of the most exclusive luxury hotels in Europe near the famed Champs Elysees.

LED Spokesperson Emma Wagner said from Paris that she’d seen scars from some the weekend’s violence on her way to the venue Tuesday, but that life in the busy French capital appeared to returning to normal.

“People are bustling about, going to work, sitting in the cafés,” she said.

Saints players were set to attend a Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, part of a series of community and cultural events that were planned for the week, the team said.

Landry’s staff is also preparing for an exclusive event of 100 or so dignitaries and business leaders scheduled to be held Wednesday night. His spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment but during an interview Monday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Landry said the league and law enforcement agencies were working together to ensure the event would be safe.

“The NFL said that the game is going to go on and they feel very confident that there’s not threats to the stadium,” Landry told WWL Louisiana during an interview Monday.

Gosper, from the NFL, said the league is working closely with local law enforcement agencies and that no demonstrations are planned for the Stade de France, which located in Saint-Denis north of Paris and away from areas where people have been demonstrating.

The Saints players, coaches and support staff are in Versailles, about 15 miles west of downtown Paris, while other club executives are staying in a hotel downtown.

Macron, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Landry Moreno and the executives of major companies — including SpaceX, Meta, Sodexo and Chanel — are among the invitees to the various events, along with many members of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation.

Moreno said in a news release Tuesday that she has “a packed schedule of meetings focused on bringing new ideas, partnerships and economic opportunities back home.”

Thousands of other Saints fans who won’t be part of the VIP festivities are also are proceeding as planned with their trip.

Season ticket holder Rick Madura, a New Orleans environmental engineer, and his wife, artist Rebecca Madura, are already in London enjoying a few days in the British capital before flying to Paris late Thursday.

Rebecca Madura, a seasoned traveler who plans to take in a museum while her husband and his friends from back home are at the game, said they’re not worried about the unrest.

“Protests should not be a problem,” she said. “Apparently, they’re pretty isolated.”

Staff writer Jeff Duncan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.