French football is never completely impervious to the shocks that cross the country. In recent weeks, the Ligue 1 stands have already borne witness to this porosity between football and social protest. In Lens, the Red Tigers denounced police violence. In Paris, the Collectif Ultras Paris showed its support for the high school movement with a particularly explicit banner before it was removed. In Marseille, the South Winners expressed their solidarity with the mobilized young people. The weekend of October 17 continued this trend in a much more explosive climate. In Strasbourg, where PSG faced Racing on Saturday, Parisian supporters wore yellow vests in the visitors’ park. Tensions and movements were also reported around the Meinau. At Groupama Stadium, the Bad Gones denounced the looted and ransacked businesses. The world of football did not wait for the political situation to deteriorate further to find itself at the heart of this sequence.
It now remains to be seen whether the stadiums will simply reflect the country’s anger or whether they could directly suffer the consequences. Because when the protest spills over into the streets, the authorities must also anticipate what could happen around major sports venues. And the next day of Ligue 1 comes at a sensitive time, even though France experienced an extremely violent weekend. On October 17, demonstrations against the high cost of living, the deterioration of public services and the difficulties encountered in National Education brought together 550,000 people according to the Ministry of the Interior, compared to 800,000 according to the organizers, through around 110 rallies. While many participants marched peacefully, several towns were hit by scenes of looting, fires and clashes with the police. In Paris, businesses were ransacked in several neighborhoods, while tensions spread to Lyon, Caen, Nantes, Lille, Strasbourg, Marseille and Bordeaux. In Limoges, the town hall was ravaged by fire.
The next day, while clean-up operations continued and traders tried to assess their losses, Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence and promised that those responsible would be prosecuted. The response of the authorities and the methods of maintaining order have also fueled criticism with demonstrators mutilated or blinded. Several activists and organizations are calling for an extension of the mobilization, while calls for a new act of protest on Saturday October 24 are circulating in Yellow Vest circles. The CGT called for continued peaceful mobilization and to prepare for the next social events, in particular the inter-professional day of November 5. Please note, however, that a unified national call for October 24 remains to be confirmed. If this new day gains momentum, public authorities will have to manage a delicate situation, while social anger remains high and the security of gatherings remains a priority.
A potential impact at all levels
For French football, the first threat could be less spectacular than the images of looting, but much more concrete. Organizing a professional match requires staff to secure the stadium, supervise visiting supporters, monitor transport and prevent incidents around the venue. However, after a weekend which put a lot of pressure on the police, a question arises about the availability of the necessary resources if new demonstrations were to be organized. Prefects could be forced to review their local priorities in large cities where several events simultaneously require a police presence. Ligue 1 could then have to adapt to reinforced measures, traffic restrictions or stricter supervision of supporter movements. Travel bans could also be considered if authorities identify a specific risk. The scenario of a postponement cannot be excluded in principle, but there is currently nothing to confirm that a meeting will be postponed due to the violence of the weekend. The security of matches also depends on administrative decisions taken sometimes only a few days before kick-off. If the calls to demonstrate on Saturday October 24 materialize, the coincidence with the championship day could complicate the task of prefectures in certain cities.
The calendar reinforces this uncertainty. Beyond the midweek receptions of FC Barcelona in Paris and Galatasaray in Lille, the 8th day of Ligue 1, scheduled from Friday October 23 to Sunday October 25, will offer several big posters. RC Lens will host Paris FC on Saturday evening, while OM will host Le Havre and PSG will meet OL on Sunday at the Parc des Princes. These posters do not all have the same constraints, but they each require coordination between organizers, security services and local authorities. Paris and Marseille deserve particular attention after the violence observed in the two cities. In Paris, the clash between PSG and Lyon will be scrutinized for its media exposure, but also for what the stands could express after the recent positions of the ultras. In Marseille, the Le Havre reception takes place in a city also affected by the overflows. Lens is another point of attention, while the Red Tigers have already taken a position on police violence. If a major mobilization actually takes place on Saturday October 24, the authorities may have to simultaneously secure gatherings and travel linked to the matches. It will therefore be seen whether the travel of visiting supporters will be maintained in their usual conditions or whether local measures will modify the organization of the meetings.
But the threat is not limited to police numbers or logistical constraints. For several weeks, supporters’ banners have demonstrated a desire to make stadiums a space for expressing the tensions that run through society. After the events of October 17, new messages on police violence, public freedoms or social anger would not be surprising. However, they could rekindle tensions with security officials and club management if banners were removed or if sanctions were considered, as at the Parc des Princes recently. French football would then find itself faced with a recurring dilemma, preserving order in the stadiums without giving the feeling of silencing all collective expression. It will also be necessary to monitor calls for new gatherings, possible instructions from supporter groups and decisions from prefectures in the coming days. If the Yellow Vests manage to give a new scale to their mobilization on October 24, the stands could become one of the places where the debate on the social crisis will continue, while the surroundings of the stadiums could require increased vigilance. Ligue 1 is not condemned to suffer the consequences of this weekend, but the LFP has the choice of whether or not to contact the prefectures for an exceptional meeting. At a time when the authorities are trying to regain control of the situation, the next matches could become a revealer of football’s capacity to remain a popular, secure and open space for the expression of its supporters.
