PARIS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- French Ligue 1 club Nice will play their first league game of the 2020-21 season behind closed doors, club president Jean-Pierre Rivere said on Wednesday.
"We had a gauge of 5,000 spectators, but we made the decision to play this game behind closed doors," Rivere said.
The southern side will kick off their new season at home against newly-promoted Lens on August 23.
"We are in a region where the COVID-19 is accelerating," Rivere added. "It's a decision that is not easy to take, but today we have to set an example."
The French government eased restrictions on sporting events in early July, as a limit of 5,000 fans are allowed to enter into stadiums to watch the games.
The French Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Etienne, and the French League Cup final between PSG and Lyon were all been staged with spectators at the Stade de France.
But the COVID-19 situation in France has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, with the southern city of Nice being one of the worst-hit regions.
The 2019-20 Ligue 1 season was declared over in late April, with Nice having qualified for next season's Europa League by virtue of their fifth place finish. Enditem
