His participation could be uncertain given the tense social climate since the adoption of the pension reform. But Emmanuel Macron will be present Saturday evening at the Stade de France to attend the final of the Coupe de France football between FC Nantes and Toulouse FC, we learned Thursday in the entourage of Gérald Darmanin. On the other hand, contrary to tradition, the head of state will not descend on the lawn, we learned from a source familiar with the matter. It is customary for the President of the Republic to be present on the pitch before kick-off to have the players introduced by the captains of the two teams.
In the stands, the unions plan to distribute red cards and whistles to spectators to show their rejection of the pension reform and their dissatisfaction with Emmanuel Macron. A police source recalled that whistles were banned in all stadiums so as not to “disturb the refereeing”. In addition, grids will be mounted in the bends to “avoid the invasion of the field by supporters”.
A bigger device
The security system will also be particularly important around the Stade de France since some 3,000 police and gendarmes will be mobilized. Either a device “50% larger”, according to the entourage of the Minister of the Interior, than that mobilized on May 28, 2022 for the final of the Champions League, which had turned into a security fiasco. The prefect of police of Paris, Laurent Nuñez will be on Saturday at the security PC, inside the Stade de France.
The Stade de France will be sold out on Saturday evening, with nearly 80,000 supporters expected. Last year, it was already Nantes who won the final by beating Nice (1-0). For its part, Toulouse has not won the Coupe de France for 66 years.
