For the 180th consecutive time, the Parc des Princes will be full this Sunday for the clash between PSG and OM. Filled in particular by representatives of the PSG Supporters Clubs, these groups of fans from all over the world who do not hesitate to pay the price to come and support their team.
It was in 2016, when there were still only 21 fan groups in the world, that the international monitoring of Parisian supporters was structured. Exchanges between PSG and fans are increasing, allowing both to be supported in their way of supporting the capital club and at the same time to encourage its dynamic of influence. Supporters clubs are popping up all over the world.
Initially, these groups were mainly made up of French expatriates who, at the same time, exported their passion for PSG. Over time, the profiles have diversified, notably thanks to foreign players who have sparked interest in them and in the club, even on the other side of the world. Today, 180 groups are spread across 95 different countries. They even have a “Supporters Club” label, which makes their relationship with PSG official. They benefit in particular from privileged daily contact and easier access to the ticket office.
During each match at the Parc des Princes, between 5 and 10 groups travel. Sunday, a clasico day with a special flavor, there will be between 20 and 30 groups, or around a hundred members who have made the trip.
Among them, Asma, a die-hard PSG fan who lives 11,000 kilometers from France. At 45, she has been a member of the Reunion club for 10 years. His first memories with PSG go back much earlier. “It was my uncle, a big fan, who passed this passion on to me. I have always watched matches with him, since my childhood. »
“The plane tickets cost me around €900”
It was only in 2018 that she saw the Parc des Princes with her own eyes for the first time. Since then, she has visited her favorite players every two years. “It’s still a cost,” she admits. Most of the time, it is with the members of the two clubs on her island that she shares these moments. “It’s very rare that I watch matches from home. » The three-hour time difference never stops him.
After two years of waiting, the fervent supporter arrived in Paris this Saturday, very enthusiastic about the idea of attending her first clasico: “As a supporter, you have to experience it at least once! It’s going to be extraordinary. And I leave the day after the match.” An express return trip for a good thousand euros. “The plane tickets cost me around €900. Then, you have to add the price of the ticket for the match: between €50 and €100.”
For Ousmane, president of the club in Ivory Coast, the addition is similar. “Between the plane, the ticket for the match, accommodation and visa fees, it comes to around €1,000,” he explains. But the main thing is elsewhere: “My first clasico dates from 2018. And it’s really an opportunity not to be missed. »
“We try to come as much as we can”
Olivier, for his part, one of the founders of the Toronto club with more than 24,000 subscribers on Facebook, will not fare much better, even if he does not have accommodation to pay for in Paris. An advantage that allows him to go to the Park a little more often. “We try to come as much as we can. I have my children in Paris, and my wife told me that it would be good for us to go see them, he explains. We started looking when tickets were cheaper. We realized that there was the clasico. This was the opportunity. »
Olivier, Ousmane and Asma were lucky, because the club cannot satisfy all the requests from supporters from abroad, especially for a clasico. “I am privileged, especially since I decided three weeks ago,” confides Asma. There will only be ten of us from my group there.”
After contacting the president of her Supporters Club, the member received the ticket only three days ago. A “relief”, she confides, even though the plane tickets had already been booked for some time.
“I want to see the Boulogne stand respond to Auteuil”
If the fervent supporter makes the trip alone, she will then join her group. “I’ve already gone there alone and that doesn’t stop me from living the moment to the fullest. In any case, I live the matches to the fullest. » And continues: “I’m just waiting for that. I can’t wait to join the others, to feel the fervor around the Park and the atmosphere in the stadium. And to see PSG win, she jokes. In the clubhouse, there is an atmosphere too, but it is different. There, nearly 50,000 supporters sing together. We feel carried by this energy. »
Olivier also evokes this atmosphere. He even makes it the main reason for his visit. Placed in the Auteuil stand for this PSG-OM, he believes that his seat is not the most important. “I want to be with the supporters, to see the Boulogne stand respond to Auteuil. That’s why I come. »
