The Minister Delegate for Sports Roxana Maracineanu on Monday brandished the threat of a return to closed doors in the stadiums, "if the measures intended to fight against the spread of the virus are not respected", after the controversy of the friendly match Paris SG- Beveren. “Respecting distances and health protocols is an absolute necessity for the health of supporters and of all French people,” the ministry said in a statement. "Decisions behind closed doors could be taken, in accordance with applicable law, if the measures intended to combat the spread of the virus are not respected during the next matches", he adds.
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This press release follows an interview the same day between Roxana Maracineanu, the president of the Professional Football League (LFP) Nathalie Boy de la Tour and the General Manager of the French Football Federation (FFF) Florence Hardouin, to discuss the no -respect of barrier gestures by some supporters during the match between PSG and Belgian club Waasland-Beveren on Friday.
The lack of social distancing in the turns during the meeting between PSG and Waasland-Beveren, which marked the return of supporters to the Parisian enclosure four months after the end of the competitions, within the limit of 5,000 people, prompted the indignation of several players in French sport, while clubs and leagues plead for the return of a larger audience.
Mea culpa from the Ultras Paris Collective
This led to a mea-culpa from Romain Mabille, the president of the Ultras Paris Collective (CUP), in an interview with Le Parisien on Monday. “We underestimated the enthusiasm there was going to be,” admitted Romain Mabille. "We let go by the enthusiasm of the match."
"In this regard, the Parisian club has informed the authorities and the authorities of reinforced measures to ensure compliance with the protocols during the next match against Celtic Glasgow on Tuesday," recalls the statement from the Ministry of Sports, which emphasizes that "Everyone must be responsible: clubs, authorities, supporters". On July 12, Ms. Maracineanu had mentioned "a review clause in mid-July" to study the possibility of increasing the number of spectators admitted to the stadiums, an option which she said should be studied by the Defense Council.
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