There it is, finally, the more impatient among us might say, the 2005-2006 football season is underway again for the clubs of the hexagon. While television will never replace the atmosphere and emotions felt in a stadium, fans are already wondering where to watch the matches of OGCN or ASM, to name just the Ligue 1 clubs from the region. Here’s a quick overview of places that are eager to light up on match nights.
Whether they are supporters or just enthusiasts, they each have their little rituals on match days when their favorite team isn’t playing at home. While some wouldn’t trade their comfortable couch, pizza nights, and Canal+ subscription for anything, others prefer the more social atmosphere of a bar, pub, or restaurant. For these people, the choices are plentiful.
Supporters of Gym will meet at the Olympic, a pizzeria located near the Stade du Ray, or at the Perroquet, a bar and restaurant in Saint-André de la Roche. From the color of the awnings to the regular clientele, through to the warm atmosphere and affordable prices, everything is in place for a great evening among Nissarts.
The more moderate spectators will rather go to Couleur Café (Boulevard Pierre Sola), La Dominante, or Lou Pignatou (Rue Cyrille Besset). These establishments regularly hold football evenings on large screens, in a friendly setting, for a very local clientele.
In the heart of Old Nice, there again, there’s no shortage of places. Traditional British pubs such as Ma Nolan’s, King’s, or De Klomp offer all kinds of sports broadcasts (athletics, Tour de France, rugby…) on a big screen. The Van Gogh, another pub in the old town, broadcasts all OGC Nice matches on two TVs. The diverse and regular clientele appreciates the low prices and gently euphoric atmosphere of the place.
A new arrival has settled in the Old since the beginning of summer: the Team. With a very sporty decor reminiscent of Star’s and Bars of Monaco, Christophe and Fred, former local athletes familiar with Nice nightlife, broadcast big events on a large screen, against a backdrop of 70’s and 80’s music. On Sunday evenings after the effort, very friendly third halves are organized around some tapas.
In Monaco, establishments broadcasting matches are obviously rarer. As a sports worship place par excellence, Star’s and Bars, on Quai Antoine Premier, is the ideal place to have a good evening, in a very stylish décor (Formula One suspended from the ceiling, safety rails around the bar, jerseys and suits of great champions hung on the walls, photos of stars…). Numerous screens broadcast major matches. The young and upscale clientele particularly appreciates the American cuisine and the warm atmosphere of “Star’s.”
ASM supporters usually meet at the Pizzeria du Stade, located under the Louis II Stadium, or at the Monte-Carlo Bar, across from Place d’Armes. Connoisseurs and regulars prefer the bar l’Equipe, in Cap d’Ail. In a very appropriate décor (red and white armchairs, glasses stamped “AS Monaco”, floor representing a soccer field, and walls covered with photos of the tribunes of Stade Louis II), all ASM matches, as well as Ligue 1, are shown.
A little anecdote about the bar l’Equipe: Deprived of the first match of the season (Nancy-Monaco) due to a failure of the Monegasque cable network, several dozen residents of the Principality went to the bar l’Equipe, located in Cap d’Ail, therefore in France, to follow their favorite team. A record attendance that day for this friendly place, which only asks to be known!
From now on, no more excuses to stay at home on Saturdays, football is (also) lived on a big screen!
Nicolas Pelazza