In Leipzig,
Three years after the Covid Euro which, in another life which seems so distant to us today, had given the air of Indian cemeteries to European stadiums, the 2024 European Championship once again offers us exciting atmospheres and scenes of popular jubilation despite rotten weather to the core. An observation to be credited to the German organization, which opened the floodgates to allow supporters to come to the stadium in much greater numbers than during previous Euros. How ? By setting the gauge of seats allocated in turns to the capacity of the Allianz Arena in Munich and its 80,000 seats.
Basically, whether we are in the Bayern grounds or in Leipzig, the smallest stadium in the competition (40,000) where the Blues face the Netherlands on Friday, each country is automatically reserved 10,000 places. Whatever it is, from the hop-soaked Scots to the Dutch dancing the quadrille in the streets of Hamburg, fans are turning out for the event so far. And in the middle of all this, the French no longer even do any work in this happy mess.
10,000 Gauls at the meeting
Far from their reputation as a chilly public preferring to keep their nest egg on to grill merguez and sip Ricard in campsites in the south of France, our compatriots crossed the border with Germany en masse to come and support the Blues. There are in fact more than 10,000 who took tickets for the first three group matches of the group in Deschamps, a record for our country.
A figure which could be mocked by certain nations accustomed to dripping by the tens of thousands every four years on the continent but which, for us, tells something interesting in the relationship of the French to their football team. From now on, like the blue turn which noisily populated the Düsseldorf stadium against Austria, French supporters can look their rivals in the eye. The first procession, last Monday, looked proud in the streets of Düsseldorf.
Enough to please Fabien Bonnel, historic member of the Irrésistibles Français, who has been working hard for years to make the stands a place that is both noisy and festive. “I’m quite humble about the impact of our work and I don’t think that’s what explains the number of people there are in Germany today,” he says modestly. This is mainly explained by the fact that it is in Germany and that the Blues have had a string of good results since 2016.” Now, we know it, you know it and he does too, “the French have an easier tendency to mobilize when it wins. »
Organized and shouting supporters
Nevertheless, today we can walk with our heads held high and, above all, avoid taking it in our hands – out of shame – by remembering the three haired and two shorn disguised as Asterix and Obelix who then represented the homeland at the time. the foreigner. Now, a bit like the ultra parking lots that we see every week in Ligue 1 (when the prefects are in a good mood) these are numerous, organized and noisy.
Fabien Bonnel: “We see, we feel and we hear that the work we have been doing for years, these songs that we repeat from match to match so that they become anchored in people’s heads, it has finally paid off. We’re just talking about ‘Allez les Bleus’ or la Marseillaise. We manage to institutionalize other rhythms, which allows us to vary the atmosphere. Before it gave up quite quickly, today it holds up much better over time. »
This does not (yet) stop the criticism from raining down, as we have again seen in recent days on Twitter, but at least the French fans have found solid lawyers to defend their cause. This is the case of Idriss, 32, who hosts the channel “Love the jersey” on Youtube. Ulcerated by the negative comments accompanying the videos of the French procession at the start of the week, this rugby and football fan gave them a well-placed high kick during the games.
“It’s typical of the atmosphere on social networks and the French mentality, we can’t help but fall into the somewhat perverse comparison with what is done elsewhere. It fed me, he says. We don’t realize where we are starting from and where we are. At one time, the atmosphere around the Blues, without even talking about the trips, just at the Stade de France, was rotten. In 2000, when we were on the roof of the world and the Euro was right next door, in Belgium, it wasn’t crazy at all. Today, even if we are not at the level of others, at least we can compare and we must salute that. »
The dogs bark and the caravan passes
If he assures that he no longer pays attention to these haters in pajamas, hidden behind their computer from the depths of the Creuse, the capo of the IF still has a message for them: “Let them come to the stadium to sing, let they come with us in the processions to help us make it all lively. In any case, we strip ourselves, we ensure that the movement develops and that people have fun. That matters a lot more to me than the two or three angry people who constantly criticize everything. »
There is still work to do to reach the level of the Dutch but the Irresistible French are working on it. “The procession of the Netherlands is necessarily more impressive but that does not mean that ours is nothing compared,” continues the French capo. We try to emphasize the ‘all in blue at the stadium’ side, so that it visually stands out, even if we don’t have the flashy colors of the Dutch or the Austrians. A bright orange or red is necessarily more powerful than blue, but we try to establish this habit so that it is seen in the stands. »
Still, there is little chance that we will ever come close to matching some of our neighbors, although they are less numerous from a population point of view. And don’t come and talk to us about any difference in purchasing power. Otherwise how can we explain that Romanians or other Albanians (no offense) have arrived by the tens of thousands. “It’s a story of fan culture, relationship to football, love of this sport and the selection,” points out Idriss. There is still a lot of work to be done on mentalities but there has been a real evolution. »
Especially since if the Blues have a good run this summer, we can expect other compatriots to join the ranks in the weeks to come. “You know the French mentality,” laughs Bonnel. The further we advance in the competition, the more people will want to take their tickets. Today they don’t think about it at all but, once they reach 8th grade, they will start to wake up and get on the train. » As long as they set fire to the stands, we promise, we won’t judge them too harshly.