The French authorities announced on Monday a better consultation between the players of the football, in order to limit the number of prohibitions of displacement.
An empty visitor park, as observed during the lesson delivered by the PSG at OM (4-0), Sunday, October 27, will it soon be the testimony of a bygone era in Ligue 1? Some actors of the sport envisage it, at the end of a meeting, Monday, of the National Instance of the supportism (INS) to the ministry of the sports. On this occasion, Laurent Nuñez, the Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior, announced the introduction of measures to better regulate the movement of supporters, while the prohibiting orders are increasing.
"For each match deemed sensitive, we have agreed to hold preparatory meetings with all the parties concerned at least three weeks upstream, said Mr. Nuñez. To define in a responsible and collective way the conditions of safety of movement and to avoid arriving at the extreme solution, that of the decree prohibiting of displacement. " And do not make sure "To fall into banalization" these prohibitions, which sometimes mobilize more forces of the order than a permission of displacement.
In addition to the prefects, who will be warned by a circular in the coming weeks, the security directors as well as the support representatives of the two clubs concerned will take part in this meeting, which is far from the case today. "This consultation upstream will help our supporters to move more easily than before", hopes Nathalie Boy de la Tour, the president of the Professional Football League (LFP).
A "small step forward" for fans
If they remain "Obviously cautious", the representatives of the National Association of Supporters (ANS) welcome a "Little advance" as for this subject that divides fans and authorities. "We have to see how things will evolve in practice, but if there are actually fewer and fewer travel bans, we will be the first to be delighted"said Kilian Valentin, ANS spokeswoman.
"There was an awareness that we sometimes went too far in prohibitions or restrictions of movement", continues Pierre Barthélémy, another spokesman of the ANS. At the ministry of sports, it is specified that neither of the two ministers nor the League considered that there would have been abuses. " We have the tools to go in the right direction, we need to strengthen them, continues the supporter, greeting the presence of Laurent Nuñez at this meeting gathering all the actors – League, Federation, supporters, clubs … – of the sport. But we will be very attentive to acts after these speeches, because we have already been disappointed by some announcements. "
Since the beginning of the season, thirty matches of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 have been affected by a measure to prohibit or restrict the movement of opposing supporters. The latest being the one that concerned Marseille fans wishing to attend PSG-OM. "The atmosphere would have been even better if both teams had been present in the stands"said sports minister Roxana Maracineanu.
"Empower all actors" on homophobia
On the other hand, the minister did not put too much pressure on certain songs sung in the Parisian forums, avoiding to reopen the controversy of the beginning of the season on homophobia in the stadiums. As often during this clash between rival clubs, some "Marseille, we fuck you" sounded at the start of the match, without the referee interrupting the game.
"This topic has been highlighted in a slightly unexpected way for everyone"agreed the minister. The start of the Ligue 1 season was polluted this summer by a month of anathemas, teasing or insulting banners and semantic debates about the degree of homophobia contained in the insult. "Motherfucker". An explosive situation that football players have since begun to defuse. "We are not in the idea of sanctioning, but of explaining, preventing and inciting the sports world to take its share in this societal fight"insists Roxana Maracineanu. In other words "Empower all actors" football on the issue.
To do this, as is the case on the issue of travel, all highlight the role to develop the "referent supporter", belt transmission in each club between the fans and the team. Since it was introduced in 2016 by the Larrivé law, this "Key player of the clubs, intermediary between them and the associations of supporters", according to Nathalie Boy de la Tour, is gaining importance. "His opinion must be heard more"concludes the boss of the LFP.
