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"We are not in the mood": less than a month before Euro 2021, French supporters are struggling to project themselves

2021-05-20T23:52:44.486Z


Even if the announced presence of Karim Benzema in the list of 26 Blues makes them shudder, the health crisis, with the vagueness on the displacements


The ritual made him vibrate.

Before each international football competition, Jean Tolotta slips in his suitcase the France team jersey, the cap that goes with it, the tricolor, the phone charger and the extra battery just in case, to be sure to save everything. .

“All that is over.

I no longer have this madness, this passion ”.

This year, the suitcase will perhaps remain at home: the president of the Var section of the supporters of the France team is living this Euro 2021 in "total vagueness".

He may be vaccinated “two doses” against Covid-19, the entry conditions in each host country of the competition are changing like quicksand.

“In Germany, we are talking about quarantine, PCR tests… In France I have my habits, but abroad, where could I trust a guy who will stick a giant cotton swab in me?

And if we're positive, what do we do?

It's scary, confides this 56-year-old caregiver, for whom “at the moment, the flag is at half mast, even being world champions.

"

Yannick (second from the right), president of the Dunkirk section of the supporters of the Blues, had to cancel all trips abroad to follow the France team during Euro 2021 because of the Covid-19.

DR 

Less than a month before the competition, which begins on June 11, many supporters of the France team are "not in it", like Jean, despite the world title won by the Blues in 2018. In his section of the Var, there are those who still hope to shout in foreign stadiums, those who no longer have the means, because of partial unemployment, and then the members, numerous, who have "thrown in the towel". “They will take the plunge of pressing the remote control, and watching the games quietly in front of the TV. "

"It is difficult to imagine that in a month, we can be in a stadium with 60,000 people," laments Yannick, president of the Supporters of the Blues, Dunkirk section.

Among the 214 members of all generations, almost everyone is "on the lookout" to be vaccinated before June 11.

“If we can't move, we at least hope to be able to organize a broadcast of matches with our members, but we still need to have permission, we won't take any risk.

"

"I only learned this weekend that it started on June 11"

“Me, I am not at all in my Euro! notes Florian *, 38 years old and in love with the round ball since childhood. I only learned this weekend that it started on June 11, whereas usually, in international competitions, the tension rises from April and we plan our holidays according to that. »But in this health context, this mechanical engineer from Lille does not« plan anything in his life in general ». And even less the way he will follow the matches. “Say to

yourself

:

Come on, let's look at them glued together while drinking a beer in Lille center

, that doesn't

cross

my mind. "

The Euro seems eclipsed from the conversations.

Certainly, the almost certain hypothesis of the presence of Karim Benzema on the list of 26 players for the Euro "agitates the small world of supporters".

But before Tuesday, Florian had "not spoken for a second" with colleagues.

“Even on MPG

(Editor's note: My little lawn, a virtual football game)

, the Euro did not come into our discussions at any time, it's crazy!

"

For Sylvain *, a 39-year-old Parisian, Euro 2021 does not occupy the media space either.

"We see few ads, players talk less than usual, the Euro seems disconnected from their reality, feels this supporter of FC Nantes and the France team.

There is a real distance vis-à-vis this event.

Yet we arrive as the favorites, but the momentum has been broken by the health crisis.

"

No unity of place, therefore less unity of atmosphere

A break reinforced by the scattering of the competition across Europe.

It will take place in twelve different countries, but not in France.

"There is no unity of place, therefore less unity of atmosphere, and this fear preceded the Covid", estimates Sylvain.

If he has not planned any weekend or departure on vacation from June 11 to July 11, Sylvain does not plan for the competition either.

“We do not know what the atmosphere will be on TV, nor in the streets of Paris.

The rules are vague everywhere, for stadiums, bars and restaurants….

We wonder if social distancing is compatible with the atmosphere of a football match, we expect proximity, contact, outpouring of joy, something irrational and passionate that we are de facto forbidden because the Covid invites himself to the party.

"

Read alsoEuro 2021: Budapest aims for 100% of the stadium's capacity for the two matches of the Blues

From June 9, two days before the start of the Euro, bars and restaurants will be able to open indoors, at 50%. The terraces will regain their full capacity. If France goes far, European competition will be "a chance" for bars with screens. “We will respect what the State asks of us, even if it will not be easy because the supporters move in all directions when there is a goal, it's football! »Exclaims Andy Ferrari, director of Bal Rock in Paris, known for its forty screens and its 1000 m² inside.

The manager will have to accommodate 300 people maximum, instead of 600 or 700. “A huge shortfall for us, but we are here to slowly resume the activity.

It will do people good to regain a sporting spirit, despite the distances involved.

If France goes to the final, from July it will be a total mess and that's what we want!

"

"On the big day, we'll be like kids"

At the highest peak of the state, the logistical question remains nebulous. Will there be fan zones? "We are studying different scenarios depending on the evolution of the health crisis and the progress of the French team in the competition," replied the City of Paris, without further details. Will a health pass be required to access it? "It's a bit early to answer you, there are phases of deconfinement and we do not yet have instructions," they say to the Ministry of the Interior. Everything will be conditioned by the health situation of each department, it is a deadline both near and far. "

According to Prime Minister Jean Castex, there will be many fan zones framed by a “specific protocol”. But nothing is specified yet. At the town hall of Noisy-le-Grand (Seine-Saint-Denis), which is used to setting up one of the biggest fan zones in Ile-de-France, “we are watching the mailbox”. Despite the many question marks, the city plans to install one from July 2. "The outlook looks good," notes Pierre Bornand, Assistant (UDI) for Sports. It is considered that from June 30, the rules should be relaxed to be able to organize a first broadcast on July 2, at the time of the quarter-finals. "

Morose, the supporters?

Not that much.

“On the big day, we'll be like kids,” smiles Sylvain.

Covid or not, Yannick knows it: “We will all be behind the Blues, whether at the campsite, at the restaurant, or at home.

"

* The first names have been changed at the request of the interlocutors

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-05-20

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