“I arrived at 3:30 in the morning, I was the first! » The prize – frozen – for Xavier, in front of a supermarket in Bayeux (Calvados) where some 1,600 seats were sold this Tuesday January 6 for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France between Bayeux (Regional 1) and Olympique de Marseille, scheduled in a week (Tuesday January 13, 9 p.m.) at the Ornano stadium in Caen.
The club first opened the ticket office to its licensees. A first success. This Tuesday, for the first general public sale, in physical stores, the quota was limited but the enthusiasm was enormous. From five places per person originally, the limit was dropped to four in an attempt to satisfy a few more people.
“A good part of the Caen stadium will be Bayeusaine”
“We’ve been a little cold since we’ve been here since 7:30,” laughed Jean-Claude in front of the store. “We rub our hands, our feet are frozen. What not to do to get places? I was asked to do the standby by my OM fan at home,” smiles Christelle, at his side.
Like them, there were dozens of them who braved the cold early on. Jules, Tom and Noah got up at 4 a.m. and made the half-hour drive from Carentan. The move was prepared: “We had the chairs, the coats, neck warmer, undershirt, sweater, the whole lot! » Four hours of waiting and, at the end, “the relief” of having obtained the precious sesames.
Not everyone had this eager sense of anticipation. By 9 a.m., opening time, the line stretched for hundreds of meters outside. The sidewalks of the peaceful adjoining residential area had been taken over. Crazy.
“We need to prepare to be frozen before we get to the ticket counter. We don’t know if we will be able to speak and have a place,” laughed a Bayeusaine, “surprised” by the crowd. But everyone is aware of it: this match is “an exceptional event for a small town like Bayeux. It’s impressive, we understand the fans, it might only happen once in a lifetime.”
After having capsized its Henry Jeanne stadium during its previous exploits against SM Caen and Blois, Bayeux is taking up the challenge of filling the 20,000 seats at the Ornano stadium with as many supporters as possible in the face of the immense popularity of its Marseille opponent.
Hence, also, the first phases of sales in narrower circles. In the line, supporters of Tom Thumb, of course like Gilbert and Éric: “Let’s be chauvinistic! We live nearby. It’s a Norman club, a small team which takes on big names. The result is there: we meet Marseille at Ornano. The Coupe de France has surprises in store. Little Thumbs can take it up a notch! »
There are also unwavering supporters from OM, like the trio from Carentan. Jules, Tom and Noah are already looking forward to “seeing our players, maybe getting a jersey. We don’t have the chance to see Marseille often and, there, they come 30 km from us.
Shortly after 10 a.m., the categories (Bayeux has defined a scale of €10 to €40 per place) were sold out at the ticket counters. Malone, communications manager for the Regional 1 club, says he is amazed by the enthusiasm: “We didn’t expect that. The entire parking lot was full, the line was I don’t know how many meters long. We can’t wait to see the result at the Ornano stadium, where a good part of the stadium will be Bayeuxan.
While Xavier, first in line of the night, will “surprise his grandchildren”, new sale this Wednesday at 10 a.m. on the SM Caen online ticket office. Around 2,000 tickets will be on sale. The latest for this Bayeux – OM anthology.
