Achraf Hakimi regrets Bollaert hosting Trophée des Champions, comparing it to a Ligue 1 match

After PSG's loss to Lens in the Trophée des Champions on Sunday (1-0), Achraf Hakimi stated that the match should have been organized on neutral ground. This view was shared by the Parisian ultras, who boycotted the event at Bollaert in protest.

Having won the Coupe de France in the spring, RC Lens secured another title by defeating PSG in the Trophée des Champions this Sunday at Bollaert (1-0). In front of their home crowd, the Sang et Or emerged victorious thanks to a goal from Florian Thauvin, despite Kylian Mbappé's expulsion late in the first half for a foul on Maghnes Akliouche.

While some PSG fans were present in the stands, this curtain-raiser event took place without the members of the Collectif Ultras Paris. The regular attendees from Auteuil decided to boycott the trip to the North to protest the organization of the match at RC Lens's home ground, following a draw conducted in early June by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. Achraf Hakimi echoed their dissent after the game, feeling that this Trophée des Champions should have been played on neutral territory, as is often the custom.

'We should have played under the same conditions'

"We did everything to win, we created chances, we controlled the whole game. Then, there are situations we can't control, like playing on a ground that isn't neutral, without our supporters," the Moroccan full-back told Ligue 1+. "It's a final, so I think we should have played under the same conditions, but it didn't happen. It's not an excuse. We did everything to win, unfortunately, we didn't score."

"We've already played many finals on neutral grounds, with half the stadium for our supporters and the other half for the opposing fans," Hakimi continued. "Today, it felt more like a Ligue 1 match, given we were playing away. If we want to continue growing our league, these are things we need to consider. But as I said, it's not an excuse, even if it helped them a little. We will continue to work for what's next. We're trying to regain our form, even though some players haven't had much training. Our training sessions are the matches. At this point in the season, we're trying to recover well. We'll keep going to be ready."