Saturday, September 10. Le Stade du Ray welcomes 14,000 spectators. Nice hosts Saint Etienne’s Verts. A heated match between two clubs known for the fervor of their supporters. Frédéric Piquionne, the Stéphanois striker, capitalizes on the leniency of the Nice defense to score the match’s only goal.
Saturday, October 22. AJ Auxerre travels to the Côte d’Azur. Two reassured teams. The Auxerrois, after their comprehensive 3-0 victory over Troyes, are in 4th place, just one point behind the second-placed PSG. The Niçois, who are not very comfortable at home, have been gaining points away. After taking three points at the Stadium de Toulouse and at Parc des Princes, the eaglets brought back a deserved point from their visit to the Félix Bollaert stadium in Lens. Nice-Auxerre: undoubtedly the first turning point of the season for both teams. The Reds and Blacks rely on their supporters to drive them in this decisive match…
But here it is… The two teams enter the field. A world of silence. We hear Jean-François writing down the lineup of the two teams, Dominique taking over the broadcast… We even hear the mopeds backfiring on Avenue du Ray. 22 players for a closed-door match. Two directors and the critics of this two-act farce in the press stand. In three words as in a thousand: A Deafening Silence.
The reasons are known. Let’s return to September 10. Recap of the facts: Bengal fires were lit. The smoke delays the kickoff of Nice-Saint Etienne. After the match, “several dozen Nice supporters, in a coordinated and premeditated action, went to provoke Saint Etienne supporters.” The National Football League’s committee penalizes, and thus Nice plays against Auxerre in a closed stadium.
Football, the theater of modern times
Jean-Paul Sartre in his play No Exit was inspired by the bad faith and selfishness of men, key themes of the Sartrean concept. It would be bold to draw a parallel between a Sartre play and a football match. However, 90 minutes of a match are enough to be convinced that any confrontation, any adversity in our society allows us to glimpse its ailments. All the participants of a match (players, coaches, referees) are in bad faith because they think they hold the truth. They perform a play and they write the script with their actions.
This suspense attracts crowds, unleashes passions. But this passion will be absent from the stands on Saturday. Niçois supporters will attempt to get as close to the stadium as possible. Like prompters in the theater, they need to be close to their favorite actors to prevent them from forgetting lines but mainly to make them feel their presence, to reassure them. They must, however, use stratagems, drawing inspiration from Odysseus and his horse and the Homeric epic, to reach the vicinity of the stadium and make their encouragements heard. Police reinforcements are planned but from the tops of buildings or the adjacent parking lot, they will support the gym and the red and black colors.
The club, however, stated in an official announcement that “OGC Nice is obliged to adhere to certain constraints and notably to prohibit any spectators within the stadium’s premises. If the prescriptions are not respected, the match cannot proceed and will be forfeited by the Club.” Supporters must also avoid any disturbances outside the stadium for the good of the club they cherish.
Regarding the Nice-Auxerre match, the outcome will be known around 9:50 PM.
Vincent Trinquat
