It was a tour de force for the public authorities, the bodies concerned (FFF and UEFA) and the State services: organizing a Champions League final in three months, when UEFA’s specifications required it. legally eighteen. The Russian invasion in Ukraine, launched on February 24, led to the relocation of the Champions League final – initially scheduled for Saint Petersburg – to the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) under the impulse of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron.
One week before the event, and after more than seventy preparatory meetings, to date, between the various actors involved, under the aegis of the prefect hors classe Michel Cadot, interministerial delegate for major sporting events (Diges), the system reception of the supporters of the two clubs is almost finalized. Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters will have 22,000 seats each, including VIPs.
Real fans will meet near the Stade de France
On the Spanish side, the “fan meeting point” will be in the public part of the Legion of Honor park, in Saint-Denis, near the Stade de France. It will open Saturday at midday, will close around 5 p.m., and will be reserved for Madrid fans in possession of a ticket for the final.
Real Madrid fans attending the Champions League final were expected to gather near the Stade de France. (G. van Keulen/Sports Press)
On the other hand, the discussions were denser to find a base suitable for the British supporters, who will be much more numerous. The authorities estimate that they will be between 50,000 and 60,000 coming to Paris next weekend (including the 22,000 ticket holders). To accommodate them, half a dozen avenues have been explored, such as that of the Jean-Bouin stadium. But the enclosure hosts “hospitalities” linked to the Roland-Garros tournament.
UEFA settles the bill
The choice finally fell, according to our information, on a long artery to the east of the capital: the Cours de Vincennes. An option which was not necessarily that of the town hall of Paris, which anticipated in particular the reaction of local residents, and which had proposed hall 1 of the exhibition center at Porte de Versailles, south of the capital. Option rejected for safety reasons: too many smokers or the “cracking” of smoke bombs in this closed place could have triggered the fire alert system, causing an evacuation of the public without an immediate plan B…
This “fan zone” in the Cours de Vincennes should open at 2 p.m. on the day of the final, and will not only be reserved for Reds supporters, whether or not they have a ticket for the match. Pat-downs will be carried out to enter the area and musical entertainment is planned inside: two giant screens will be installed to broadcast the concerts that will take place in the afternoon. Food trucks and beer taps will also be available. The bill for the organization of these two spaces, Spanish and English, is paid by UEFA. As for the FFF, it has legal and operational responsibility.
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