Manchester City-PSG: a shock without a French journalist at the Etihad Stadium

Covid and health measures taken by the United Kingdom oblige, no French media will have a special envoy this Tuesday evening at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester City.

Compulsory isolation of ten days is in fact provided for upon arrival of travelers, only a negative test from the 5th day can reduce it.

Only Timothée Maymon (RMC radio, BFMTV), who left last Wednesday and has since remained at the hotel pending a negative PCR test, has chosen this path.

For the moment, four local correspondents are sure to attend this semi-final second leg of the Champions League: one for AFP, one for Radio France and two for RMC Sport, the exclusive broadcaster of the Champions League. “The regulations in England are such that we could not benefit from any privilege,” explains Jérôme Sillon, who will comment in the cabin on the match for RMC alongside Jérôme Rothen.

For RMC Sport, this semi-final second leg will be the last match of the Champions League exclusively, since the final will be co-broadcast on a free-to-air channel, while Canal and beIN Sports will be the broadcasters of the competition from the season next.

Last week, in the first leg lost by PSG at the Parc, RMC Sport achieved its second best audience in its history (1.6 million viewers on average) behind the semi-final Leipzig-PSG last season.

"We will be the most passionate and the most enthusiastic possible"

“Commenting in the cabin on a semi-final return of the European Cup, it's terribly frustrating, sighs Jérôme Sillon. But when it also concerns a French club… ”The journalist had already had to learn to deal with the constraints of a commentary on a game behind closed doors. “Effectively for the emotional implication, the cabin commentary requires extra effort,” he explains. But unfortunately we are used to it, we know how it goes because we have already done that for the group matches in Leipzig and Manchester United. We are prepared for it, it will not be a problem, we will be in it and we will be as passionate and enthusiastic as possible. It is up to us to live up to the event, as we have been able to do for 3 years. "

The post-match will not be different for print or radio journalists since since the start of the competition, the coaches' interventions after the matches have been carried out by video conference. The pandemic complicates media coverage. If nearly 80 journalists were accredited for the first leg last Wednesday (no Britons), there were only 8 French in Munich for the quarter-final first leg on April 7 against Bayern.