Message received. Severely criticized and singled out by the Deputy Minister in charge of Sports Roxana Maracineanu, who brandished the threat of closed doors, the PSG ultras adopted a behavior in accordance with the health measures in force to fight against the spread of the coronavirus, this Tuesday evening at the Parc des Princes.
Throughout the game against Celtic Glasgow (Scotland), these PSG fans applied the most basic barrier gestures. At least one seat separated each of them, and even if it is not the easiest to sing supporters' chants, the wearing of the mask was generally respected.
It must be said that the ultras had no real choice. The stewards in greater number than last Friday against the Belgians of Waasland-Beveren (7-0) made many rounds in the stand to remind the most recalcitrant to respect the physical distance and to raise their piece of tissue on the nose.
Tribute to Thiago Silva
The leaders of the CUP (Collectif Ultras Paris), also more numerous than last week, dispersed in the Auteuil stand to ensure the smooth running of the evening. From the start of the match, one of the capos set the tone: "" Friday, we got hit, so tonight everyone is wearing the mask! "
For its part, PSG had also taken steps to avoid the disastrous images of the last match with PSG ultras massed on touch behind the goal. The advertising spots of the club's players recalling the barrier gestures have multiplied, and Michel Montana, the stadium announcer, has repeated many times that wearing a mask was mandatory in the stadium. Tape, generally used on construction sites, had been unrolled over rows of seats preventing anyone from sitting on them. These measures, as well as the somewhat belated awareness of PSG supporters, allowed for a peaceful evening.
In this irreproachable sanitary context, the Parisian ultras were able to pay tribute to Thiago Silva, the captain of PSG for eight years who played his last match at the Parc des Princes in front of the public. After a banner unfurled at the start of the match: "Thiago Silva in Paris ... we sign direct" (a message for sporting director Leonardo), supporters chanted his name in the second half. At the end of the match, the Brazilian came to meet the Auteuil turn accompanied by his two sons Iago and Isago.
PSG Express
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The supporters will no longer have the opportunity to show him their affection at the Park - at least not in his presence - since the next friendly match against Sochaux, on August 5, will take place without a spectator. But this is not a sanction from the authorities, but a choice of the Parisian staff to prepare their players behind closed doors in the quarter-final of the Champions League against Atalanta Bergamo, on August 12 in Lisbon.