Montpellier chairman Louis Nicollin expressed his gratitude to Lyon after his side were forced to switch venues for next weekend's home match against their French Ligue 1 rivals due to extensive flooding at the La Mosson Stadium.
Torrential rain on Monday night, and into Tuesday, has caused chaos at the ground, which had already suffered some damage during a spell of wet weather last week. Pictures on the club's official website showed the devastation caused by the flood waters, which reportedly peaked at three metres and left much of the stadium coated in thick mud.
The damage, which could take three months to repair, means the Ligue 1 encounter between the two clubs scheduled for Sunday, 19 October will now be played at Lyon's Stade de Gerland, while the reverse fixture on 7 March has been switch to Montpellier.
Nicollin requested the change of venue and Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas supported the move, saying on his club's official website: "The club Montpellier and the entire region have been severely affected. The damage is considerable. OL wanted to do everything possible to assist with the request from Louis and his son Laurent that the match could be played at the Stade Gerland."
Nicollin, whose club are seventh in the league standings and tied with Lyon on 14 points, was grateful for Aulas' co-operation, and a statement on www.mhscfoot.com read: "(Vice-president) Laurent and Louis Nicollin welcome and thank the sportsmanship and solidarity displayed by Olympique Lyonnais on this occasion."
The match is due to kick off at 21:00 local time.
Source: FIFA.com