Fans of French Ligue2 clubs have been protesting the move to playing league matches on Friday nights to satisfy their broadcast partner. The fans welcome their teams on to the pitch noisily, but when the game kicks off go silent. Graham Harrison a Leeds United fan holidaying in Brittany, France, with a football supporting friend decided to watch a Ligue2 Friday night match last week.
It was a surreal experience and a protest against an issue similar to ones fans in England’s Championship are also having to contend with.
Following last week’s game Graham emailed the letter below to us.
An English fan abroad
I have just read your article online and interestingly I was at a game last night at FC Lorient. (Fans plan Ligue2 protestshttps://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/08/13/frances-ligue-2-fan-groups-plan-protests-lfp-bein-sports-scheduling/).
I live in England and I am on holiday with a friend, I support Leeds United and he supports Fulham and we thought it would be fun to take in a game while we were in Brittany.
Our first thought was that FC Lorient is a super little club, very much family oriented and a great mix of support. The cost of our seats was just €7 each. There is plenty of choice for food inside the stadium and fans are able to walk around all the concourses. There are lots of people wandering around the stadium with flags offering fans help and support should they need it. Others offer you a free football program.
On the surface it all looks great. Prior to the game there was entertainment and plenty of flag waving on the pitch and as the players came out there was plenty of cheering. The game started and immediately my friend and I were looking at each other wondering about the strange atmosphere. It was so quiet, I joked that it was like playing in a library.
There were several very large banners that were displayed around the stadium, one was protesting against one of the minority owners of the club who also has a major share in…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/09/19/english-fans-eye-view-french-ligue2-protests/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-09-19 10:36:54
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