Question asked by Bob on 06/08/2021.
Hello,
You seized us, surprised that all the spectators of France-Bulgaria, the last match of the Blues before the Euro appear all amassed, “Without distancing and without mask”, in some stands of the Stade de France.
Many photos and videos of this great comeback of supporters have been shared on social networks, in particular by the Blues, happy to find their audience.
But these images also caused astonishment and indignation, because the public made up of a few thousand people seem to be gathered in the same tribune, in the large stadium with 80,000 seats. However, it is difficult to distinguish how far the spectators were from each other, especially when the players are standing or when the images are taken from a distance, and thus accentuate the impression of a mass of spectators glued to each other.
For this great return to the Stade de France, the French Football Federation (FFF) had obtained a waiver, details of which were presented in a press release published on June 3. One day before the second phase of deconfinement, the temple of French football was therefore able to welcome 5,000 lucky people (the maximum now authorized for this type of establishment) for this meeting, the kickoff of which was whistled at 9:10 p.m.
These 5,000 people were also authorized to exceed the curfew to return home, their entry ticket serving as a derogatory certificate. Among them were the players and their staff, the staff of the Stade de France and, according to the FFF, 3,431 handpicked spectators, including caregivers, students, firefighters, police, gendarmes and representatives of ‘associations of supporters.
To access the stadium, all had to present one of the following options, via a QR code: a negative test (PCR or antigen) dating back less than forty-eight hours, proof of recovery from a Covid infection (a positive test dating more than fifteen days and less than six months) or a certificate of completed vaccination course … In short, a “health pass” before the hour, the day before its widespread implementation.
“Just before the ticket control, a person checked the QR code with a scan”, explains Fabien Bonnel, the spokesperson for the French Irrésistibles supporters association, before confiding that“At this stage, there were a few misses”. Although QR codes presented on paper are theoretically authorized, “Some were not accepted and spectators were invited to download the TousAntiCovid application” according to him. Fabien Bonnel also mentions uncertainties concerning the complete vaccination schedule. “A couple of friends, both vaccinated with their second dose on 31 May, one of the two passed with his QR code, the other not, since the full vaccination schedule is in theory guaranteed two weeks after the second dose. “
To deal with these problems and “Complaints”, a “Litigation office” was installed at the entrance, in order to verify on a case-by-case basis that no person likely to be positive for the Covid enters the enclosure of the stadium, develops Fabien Bonnel. Once entered, to access the stands, spectators had to follow specifically delimited paths, as recommended by the health protocol published by the Ministry of Sports. As it happens, “Half used the north access, the other half the south access : there was hardly any queue and the distances were respected ”, testifies the spokesperson for Les Irrésistibles français.
The French Football Federation, responsible for organizing the event, explains that “the 3 431 spectators were distributed in the lower stand of the Stade de France, which has 7 000 seats’, and justifies this gathering, which has raised questions from Internet users since the rest of the stadium thus seemed empty, for “Organizational reasons”.
The Ministry of the Interior does not offer more explanations for this distribution of spectators, referring to the protocol of the Ministry of Sports. The latter makes it clear that the organizers must ensure that “Limit as much as possible the crossings in the enclosure”, without specifying whether spectators should be seated in part of the stands.
Fabien Bonnel provides another justification for this organizational question: “I think it’s better to do a test in near-normal conditions, rather than being an all-rounder. 10 meters… That would ensure the total absence of contamination, but would not allow knowing if the sanitary pass is working. ” He also specifies that the images of spectators shown on television show only one of the two sides of the field, the one facing the cameras, and therefore do not represent all of the spectators present.
In addition, in these forums, the FFF specifies that the protocol of the ministry was also respected in order to ensure a distance between the supporters: “One in two seats had been frozen, with staggered positioning. Each spectator therefore had an empty seat around him (in front, behind, to the right and to the left). This device, which made it possible to comply with all the rules of distancing, organization and safety, has been validated by the authorities. ”
The French Irrésistibles spokesperson adds that “The safety instructions unfortunately asked us to remain seated, but we waived this obligation by remaining standing : the goal of the supporters is to set the mood in the stadium ”. Failing to remain seated throughout the match, Fabien Bonnel nevertheless ensures that the spectators have “Rather well respected” the wearing of the mask and the distancing. “We were making reminders on the megaphone, we know very well that this is not the time to take a wrong step.”
Eating and drinking were nevertheless allowed in the corridors and stands, as specified in the protocol of the Ministry of Sports.
As for those who ask why so few spectators were allowed to be in the stadium, Fabien Bonnel notes that “The problem is not only that of the number of people in the stadium, it is also that all departures are done at the same time to access transport. Afterwards, we are all on top of each other in the subways and RERs ”.
The spokesperson for the spectator association ends: “This match is a good test to prepare for the future, we’ll see if there are clusters or not. I hope not, so that we can get out of all this. “ No other match with a similar protocol is currently scheduled at the Stade de France before the start of the school year. Other cultural events will however test the gauge and the sanitary pass this summer, such as the Avignon festival.
.
