It was a little more than noon on Monday at Camp des Loges when the Parisian players learned that the meeting against Dortmund would be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus epidemic. A few minutes earlier, before the end of their morning training, the Paris police prefect had decided that the return leg of the Champions League would take place without spectators. "They took a blow on the head," says an employee of the Camp des Loges.
To say that Thiago Silva and others did not jump for joy at the announcement of this decision is an understatement. “Some were sad to say that they could not play in front of their supporters, but also in front of their families for such an important match. Others spoke of bad luck, “summarizes an intimate of a player. A few days earlier Marquinhos had even spoken of unfairness, Dortmund having played in front of his audience on the outward journey.
"It's a little weird"
Among the South Americans, some immediately warned relatives who were to make the trip, notably from Brazil, to tell them to give up. "It's a little weird, because we're going to play without spectators and in a match like that, it's super important to create a special atmosphere, tension, and pressure on our opponent. So we will have to think about all this and adapt to it, ”said coach Thomas Tuchel on Tuesday. After this state of stupor and disappointment, the goal of the staff was to reconnect the players with the sportsman. This is the challenge of the past few hours. Avoid interference from anything related to the camera and keep players focused on the upcoming game.
"Fortunately, the players do not live in an ivory tower, and they realize that it is only a football match and that there are situations with coronavirus much more serious than a match in camera closed. And they see that other teams such as Bayern Munich ( Editor's note: against Chelsea ) or Valencia ( Editor's note: against Bergamo ) are housed in the same boat, "said a relative.
VIDEO. PSG-Dortmund behind closed doors: another (another) challenge for the club
Difficult anyway to detach from such a significant reality. In recent hours, many Parisians who have never lived behind closed doors have been wary of discovering an environment whose codes they do not master. They discussed among themselves the need not to miss their start to the match, and secretly hoped that this ban made to their public could turn into additional motivation.