When the France national football team set up camp at the Château du Lac in Genval ahead of the UEFA Euro 2000 tournament, hotel managers had to radically alter the building’s layout—including carving a brand-new corridor through a bathroom—to meet the squad’s strict privacy demands.
Led by head coach Roger Lemerre, the French delegation selected the Walloon Brabant hotel for its proximity to Brussels and easy access for players’ families, while utilizing training facilities at RJ Wavre. According to hotel proprietor John Martin and logistics director Jean-Marc Lorge, who spent months coordinating the June 2000 arrival, the arrangement required retrofitting the entire second floor of the estate.
Altering the Château for the French Squad
France booked 40 to 50 rooms across the second floor, converting several spaces into dedicated team rooms with panoramic views of the adjacent lake. To keep the players isolated from regular guests, Lemerre requested a private route between the living quarters and the dining hall.
“We shaved down a bathroom to make a breach in the wall and finalize this corridor,” Lorge explained of the structural adjustments. Hotel staff promptly dubbed the custom pathway “The corridor of the Blues.” Despite the extensive construction, Martin noted that players frequently mingled amicably with guests and left items on tables for staff to sign.
Relaxed Security and Famously Distracted Buses
Unlike modern international football encampments heavily cordoned off by social media scrutiny and intense security, the Genval headquarters operated in a more relaxed atmosphere at the turn of the century. Security consisted of two permanent guards backed by local police reinforcements, but players routinely slipped out to ride bicycles around the lake, play tennis on nearby courts, or exit through private back doors.
Defender Marcel Desailly later recounted in a BeIn Sports retrospective that the tranquil environment prevented the squad from feeling oppressed by tournament pressure, joking that players could easily walk to a nearby village for fast food. That relaxed vibe occasionally disrupted team schedules. Martin recalled a tense moment when a fully boarded bus ready for training had to wait because model Adriana Karembeu was engaged in a lengthy bar conversation with her husband, midfielder Christian Karembeu. Martin intervened with Lemerre, delaying departure by several minutes.
Illuminated Facades and Unexpected Roadblocks
Following France’s 2–1 semifinal victory over Portugal, hotel management orchestrated a dramatic greeting for the returning squad, illuminating the entire castle façade in blue. However, the celebration hit a literal roadblock when the team bus broke down on the opposite side of the lake, forcing the players to disembark and admire the glowing estate from across the water.
The stay at Genval was ultimately extended because of group stage results. Following a 3–2 defeat against the Netherlands in their final group match, France finished second in their group, securing venues in Bruges for the quarterfinals and Brussels for the semifinals rather than traveling to the Netherlands.
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