The ever-present coronavirus threat, the party less. While nearly 4,000 people were massed outside the Parc des Princes the last time we saw football in Paris, for the reception of Dortmund on March 11, the same assistance was this time welcomed in the enclosure for the reception much less prestigious from Waasland-Beveren, in a friendly atmosphere. Depending on the return of seats made by sponsors, tickets sold up to 60 euros were available until a few hours before the match.
The Collectif Ultras Paris, absent from the national cup finals and the “Final 8” of the Champions League, has decided to attend the last two “home” meetings of the season, with 1,000 of its representatives. The evening once again demonstrated the difficult compatibility between the health rules in force and their mode of practicing supporterism, raising some fears at a time when the epidemic is gaining strength in France.
"Impossible to sing for 120 minutes with a mask"
"I was in front of the stadium against Dortmund, and it was already nonsense, says Dylan, a young member of the CUP. There were 5,000 or 6,000 yelling ( Editor's note: with the authorization of the prefecture ). What interest? Might as well let us in. There, the passion was too strong. I know the risk, I know we are exposed, but it's been so long ... In addition, the end of the season arrives, with the Champions League where we can not be ... "The ultra believes that it is "Impossible to sing for 120 minutes with a mask, especially with the heat".
Inevitably, this position contrasts with that of the 200 caregivers invited to the same Auteuil stand, not far from there, including Laurence, nursing assistant in Necker. "It's a bit annoying, I feel like I'm at work, but the party is stronger than anything," she says, delighted to be invited. I am used to keeping a mask, I have my hydroalcoholic solution and we respect the barrier gestures. "
A polished atmosphere
As in society, reality often tempers the millimeter instructions widely deployed in and around the stadium. At the foot of the Paris grandstand, a young man dressed in Cavani's jersey is called to order and rummages through his belongings to find a fabric. The guards frantically press the hydroalcoholic gel pumps fixed to the metal barriers. People accredited for the meeting had to answer a questionnaire asking them if their temperature was below 37.8 ° C and if they suffered (or someone close) from one or more symptoms related to Covid-19 (loss of taste, cough…).
❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/AAvuH3r5XB
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) July 17, 2020However, everywhere in the stadium, once these roadblocks have passed, the vast majority of fans drop the mask (theoretically imposed when it is not at the cinema…) In the Auteuil turn, where a “Thank you” banner was deployed to hospital staff ”at the time of the first goal of Choupo-Moting, the ultras ignore the ticketing policy (two seats apart between each group of 1 to 10 spectators) and come together to push in unison , as in the world before ...
In a stadium filled to the eighth of its capacity, the atmosphere remains polished although clearly more cheerful than what should expect Paris for its national finals and for the outcome of the Champions League. The match against Celtic Glasgow on Tuesday, the last of Thiago Silva in his Parisian garden and the last of the season in the presence of the ultras, will be another highlight of this funny summer.