Sunday evening, there will be no fan zone or giant screen in Paris to follow the Champions League final in the capital. "We do not organize anything at all", summarizes the town hall.
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Anne Souyris, assistant for health at the town hall of Paris, had also recommended at the beginning of the week to Parisian supporters to favor " small groups of less than ten, cafes where distancing is possible ", specifying that 'in the event of PSG victory " we have to party, but we have to get used to doing it differently ." An idea finally taken up by the Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, who advised fans on Friday morning to rather " celebrate the match in responsibility at home " and " wear the mask for the celebrations in the street ". The Ministry in charge of Sports also recalls that in times of health crisis "the term “fan zone” is not necessarily appropriate, or we should speak of “premium fan zone”, since the supporters are seated and grouped into tribes, that is to say in groups that have come together, like the families or friends, and separated from other spectators ” .
The post-match risk
Despite everything, PSG will organize a broadcast of the match on a giant screen at the Parc des Princes. The event, authorized by the prefecture, will bring together 5,000 supporters, the maximum number authorized during a health crisis. In Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the Georges-Lefèvre stadium will also welcome 500 people to follow the match on a giant screen. " This match is historic in two respects: first, it is a final of the Champions League, and above all, the date of the match marks an anniversary: Sunday, to the day, it will be fifty years since PSG played his first match, so it's important to organize this broadcast, ” explains Arnaud Péricard, mayor of the town. The event, whose health protocol has been validated by the Yvelines prefecture, is the result of a partnership between the PSG association and the town hall. It will host 150 young footballers from the association and 350 supporters coming mainly from Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Fourqueux. "This is not a fan zone, we aim to attract an audience of family supporters of the town", specifies the town hall.
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Fan zone or not, it is rather the post-game that risks making waves, if we are to believe Frédéric Lagache, general delegate of the police union Alliance. “ Fan zones prevent crowding in bars, but that's no solution if thousands of people crowd the streets after the game. Our role is to enforce safety, health, and that of goods and people, but it will be complicated in any case, ”he explains.