While French football has been fighting since deconfinement to resume with the public, the Nice club has launched a paving stone in the pond. While the indicators of the coronavirus epidemic are on the rise again across the country and in particular on the Côte d'Azur, the OGCN has decided to play without spectators the match of the 1st day of Ligue 1 against Lens on Sunday 23 August.
"In view of the health situation in our region and the acceleration of Covid-19, we have decided to play against Lens behind closed doors," said President Jean-Pierre Rivère during a press conference. It may be an excess of wisdom, but the club wants to be responsible. According to the measures taken by the government, the Allianz Riviera could have accommodated a maximum of 5,000 people, including all the accredited people who work that evening at the stadium. A decision rejected by management.
“There are two reasons for this. We are in a region where the epidemic is accelerating. We are a tourist region, a region where there is a coefficient which has increased a lot and which is increasing day by day, continues Rivère. We will deprive ourselves of our audience for this first match. The next match is a month later, it will be Paris, we will have time to see the evolution of the Covid. The second reason is that we have a lot of subscribers. We had expected 4000 spectators for the Lens match. We realized that we would be very dissatisfied. However, the club's slogan is My Gym, My Family and you cannot choose among certain members of your family. "
This case of conscience will arise for many clubs in the next two weeks. The Montpellier club also plans to deprive itself of spectators to avoid having to choose from among the subscribers. The choice of in camera also saves money, the organizational costs becoming very important for such a small audience.
“It's a decision that is not easy to take, but today we have to set an example,” concludes Jean-Pierre Rivère. I called the Mayor Christian Estrosi as well as the prefect to inform them of this decision. I felt it was a relief for them in view of the fears about the evolution of the Covid. "