NFL House in Paris closes ahead of street protests in French capital

PARIS (AP) — The NFL closed its “NFL House” in Paris on Saturday as the city braced for street protests with a heavy police presence and storefronts boarded up.

The league announced the closure to fans on Saturday morning through its “OnePass” app and it came a day after closing its pop-up NFL shop — in both cases citing “potential accessibility issues.”

Security concerns have overshadowed the NFL's debut in Paris. The New Orleans Saints will play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Stade de France in the league's first-ever regular-season game in France.

Also Saturday, the Saints announced that “ Saints House has been postponed until Sunday.”

Events planned Saturday at NFL House included “French Athletes in Football” and “From the Field to the Community.”

Major museums including the Louvre and Orsay Museum are closed Saturday, though tourists were lined up to enter Notre Dame Cathedral. French authorities are intent on preventing a repeat of recent violent unrest.

The U.S. State Department this week issued a security alert that cautioned “Americans in Paris for the NFL game” to “exercise caution and be aware of their surroundings” because of 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.”

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Goodell along with Saints owner Gayle Benson and Steelers owners Art Rooney II at the Élysée Palace to “discuss Sunday’s game and the long-term future of the NFL in Paris.”

The NFL said Friday that its pop-up shop in the city center would be closed Saturday but that fans could use an alternative shop set up at Stade de France, located north of the city in Saint-Denis.

A weekend event for Steelers fans was canceled Thursday because of security concerns.

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