French football authorities have delayed Olympique Marseille's first game of the new season against AS Saint-Etienne after three first team players tested positive for COVID-19 at the Orange Vélodrome.

LFP's Competitions Commission said in a statement the game will now be replaced with the match pitting Bordeaux against Nantes.

Ligue 1 is scheduled to start its new season on 21 August, and clubs are required to conduct COVID-19 tests on all players ahead of the date.

The postponement of the game between Olympique Marseille and AS Saint-Etienne was made with advice from France’s national COVID commission, which said "the virus is circulating within" Marseille.

Ligue 1 is one of Europe's top soccer leagues that are set to start the new season earlier than most, having ended the 2019/20 season prematurely due to the COVID-19 outbreak in France.

The decision to stop the season sparked massive criticism from many quarters, cries made worse by the resumption of other leagues from July. The UEFA Champions League and Europa League are set to conclude later this week.