Should the Blues leave the Stade de France? – SO FOOT

The Blues have therefore found, for one evening, the Parc des Princes, which has long been their home, especially that of the golden generation of the 1980s and the first international trophy of 1984. A reunion celebrated by a large victory in front of the full bleachers . This nostalgic little detour via the Porte de Saint-Cloud is not, however, limited to a simple twist linked to work problems on the RER which serves the Stade de France. It intervenes in a very specific context. The FFF is increasingly asking itself the question of whether it will continue to link its fate to this point to this second cathedral of Saint-Denis. A question above all economic reinforced by the success of trips to the provinces, for example to Strasbourg in September. As the contract between the Federation and the consortium soon comes to an end, it is time to take stock. Noël Le Graët clearly explained it without false modesty in an interview with Parisian last week : “We are in contract until 2024, but it is a contract that I will never renew in my life. […] We signed it because we needed a stadium for the 1998 World Cup, but that’s enough. We have paid enough. We will only renew this contract on economic terms acceptable to the FFF. ”

The question of quality / price ratio

Nothing sentimental, just balance sheets. The Stade de France initially benefited, when it was launched for the 1998 World Cup, from a very favorable balance of power. The State has ceded a lot to the manufacturers, then to the structure which manages it (up to granting compensation for the absence of a resident club). The FFF and the FFR also had to comply with financial counterparts rather favorable to the managers of the enclosure. The SDF therefore cost excessively dear to the taxpayer and lived well thanks to the Blues or the finals of the Coupe de France. Beyond the prestige of a large stadium, the FFF is now asking the question differently. Saturday night’s match against Kazakhstan will surely earn her 400,000 euros, while some believe it would have been double her pocket in Saint-Denis.

The Tour de France or the Stade de France?

In short, there are much more profitable fallback solutions. In addition, this option ultimately also corresponds to an aspiration of the deep land of football, which dreams of welcoming the French heroes to its territories. These are these strongholds linked to historic institutions of our championship, with a loyal and old audience (and not just the ultras). The intervention of the neo-Marseillais Mattéo Guendouzi regretting to evolve in the “PSG stadium” is not scandalous, but it falls short. It is precisely because the Park is the enclosure of the Parisian club, that the Vélodrome remains that of OM or the Meinau of Racing, that a meeting of the Blues takes on all its meaning. The passion for football hates neutrality. The French team must choose between the tour of the Hexagon and the Dionysian enclosure.

If the national selection must respond, as so many politicians or the Fed demand it, to the mission of making France, participate in this “Constant plebiscite” What a nation according to Ernest Renan’s formula, it must move where the love of its colors is most fervently expressed, so that it transcends the local fiber when the hymn sounds. The players, whatever their original squad, will become real capes and no longer just luxury ambassadors. Add the evidence that the omnisport architecture of the SDF is a real obstacle in terms of atmosphere, and that some of the spectators are in fact “sacrificed” at the top …

The emotion of the evening of Saturday, marked by the painful memory of November 13, 2015, confirmed the beauty and the power of a stadium known for its heat in these moments. “This fabulous Marseillaise, a cappella, underlined Didier Deschamps after the meeting. It was a moment of emotion and remembrance, with the minute of silence. This did not prevent after having joy. ” If the park was not the volcano that we have known in the past, including for the Blues, it was a real joy to be and to find oneself there. The FFF therefore has all the keys in hand to rethink its strategy in this area, leaving the State with the difficult dilemma of the future of this infrastructure, particularly in view of the 2024 Olympic Games. football problem.

By Nicolas Kssis-Martov