Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembélé, widely regarded as the frontrunner for this year’s Ballon d’Or, faces an unusual clash of schedules.

The winger could be on Ligue 1 duty at the same time the prestigious award ceremony takes place in Paris.

A storm forced the postponement of PSG’s clash with Olympique de Marseille, originally set for Sunday, creating a scheduling headache that now coincides with the Ballon d’Or event.

Match rescheduled

Ligue 1 regulations require that postponed fixtures be played the following day. The league confirmed that PSG will face Marseille on Monday, October 22, at 8pm (WAT).

The Ballon d’Or ceremony, meanwhile, is due to begin just an hour earlier at 7pm.

PSG expressed frustration at the ruling, as it directly interferes with Dembélé’s expected presence at the ceremony. Marseille, however, insisted the regulations be respected.

Ceremony clash

The Ballon d’Or gala traditionally builds up to the announcement of the men’s winner as its final highlight.

Other awards, including best club, best coach, and best goalkeeper, will be presented earlier in the evening.

With Marseille to Paris only a 1 hour 20 minute flight, speculation is rife about whether Dembélé will attempt a whirlwind dash from the match to the awards.

The frontrunner

Dembélé is widely tipped to claim the prestigious honour, with Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Raphinha considered his closest challengers.

PSG acknowledged the postponement in a social media post but has yet to comment on how the scheduling conflict will affect Dembélé’s attendance at the ceremony.