Where will Game 3 - and the possible Game 4 - of the France Championship final between Victor Wembanyama's Metropolitans and Monaco be played? Meetings scheduled for Thursday, June 15 and, in case of 4th round, Saturday, June 17. The question burns the lips of basketball fans. And even more so Wemby aficionados who want to see the artist one last time from the floors before his flight to the NBA. Sunday evening, a few moments after the victory in Villeurbanne, synonymous with qualification for the final, Vincent Collet slipped with malice that it was to expect "a nice surprise".
"I think the final deserves a very nice room," explained the coach in a press conference on Sunday. The club is working on a relocation. Bercy will already be occupied by stars. La Défense Arena? It's very long to put back in basketball configuration. But I still think there will be a nice surprise. I know but I can't say... »
A small sentence that seemed to exclude from the equation with several unknowns the Marcel-Cerdan sports palace, usual den of Mets games, but with barely 2,800 seats.
Head to the Final for Mets 92 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 #GoMets92 #BetclicELITE pic.twitter.com/frpwldFyiI
— Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 (@Metropolitans92) June 4, 2023
The possibilities seem quite limited. Contacted the Accor Arena, where the partners of Lahaou Konaté, played a league match against Bourg on May 7 and the 2nd leg of the semi-final against Asvel last Tuesday, is not available. Comedian Inès Reg will perform there on Saturday, June 17 and a convention will be held there two days earlier. "The finals schedule is not compatible with the venue," confirms Alain Bouvard, president of the Mets.
For Paris La Défense Arena, where the Nanterre club played a match against Asvel in March in front of 16,319 spectators (national record for an indoor championship match), it is the time needed to put the hall in basketball configuration and the economic uncertainty of such an event that would pose a problem. The players and staff of the Mets, determined to thwart the predictions against Monaco, also fear that the lack of benchmarks deprives them of the precious advantage of playing "at home". But the main argument of the usual jousting room of the rugby players of Racing is to be able to host the match 3 and the possible 4th round.
Staying in Marcel-Cerdan is not yet excluded
The leaders of Boulogne-Levallois would also have contacted their counterparts of the club of Orleans to know the availability of the Co'Met, an enclosure of 10,000 seats in basketball configuration which was inaugurated in January. Since April 1st, this modern complex hosts the matches of the residents of the Pro B. Discussions began several weeks ago and also concerned the possibility of a Game 5 of the semifinal between the Mets and Asvel.
Babyyyyy Finals !!! So proud of my guys 🫶🏽
Job ain't done tho
# 👽
— Wemby (@vicw_32) June 4, 2023
But the place that seems to rally all the votes, from the players to the leaders through the Parisian public, is called... Roland-Garros. Occupied until Sunday, June 11 by the International France tennis, the enclosure of the Porte d'Auteuil will be free and has the advantage of having already hosted a basketball game, just a few months ago. On October 16, Paris Basketball had created the event by relocating a championship game against ... Monaco. 10,424 curious people and fans of the big orange ball had gathered in the stands of Centre Court.
The tennis stadium also has the advantage of being located on the edge of the city of Boulogne-Billancourt, which also owns the Metropolitans club. Roland-Garros, which launched several months ago a policy of diversification of its activities, now wants to open its doors to other disciplines (boxing meeting with Tony Yoka headlining in 2021, beach volleyball internationals in October 2022, concerts, etc.). In a few weeks, on the first weekend of July, Quai 54, a prestigious international street basketball tournament, will be located there.
"This is the last track," confirms Alain Bouvard. The management of the French Tennis Federation (owner of the Roland-Garros stadium) must first check if it will be possible to uninstall the equipment related to the tournament. We should know more tomorrow (Tuesday) but the idea is launched... For the moment several possibilities exist. The hypothesis of playing in Levallois is also strong, it is also the most likely for the moment. »
One thing is certain, regardless of the location and capacity, the tickets for the match will fly out in just a few minutes. No one will want to miss Victor Wembanyama's last dance.