Le Parisien report that between 2,000 to 3,000 PSG supporters will be taking part in a rally just metres outside of the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening as their team plays Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors in a crucial Champions’ League encounter.
The Paris authorities yesterday gave their authorisation for this initiative to take place, requested for by Collectif Ultras Paris, PSG’s main ultra group. The outlet reports that owing to the external nature of the show of support, not formally confined to an arena or an inside venue, French government regulations restricting gatherings of more than 1,000 people as an anti-COVID-19 measure, do not apply.
In a press release published on social media last night, the CUP launched an appeal to the people of Paris “to bring unconditional support to our team tomorrow in front of the Auteuil stands. This decision for the match to occur behind closed doors will in no way be a barrier for our determination to push our team to qualification. Let us shake the walls of the stadium. From the outside, we will play our role as the 12th men. We need the Parisian people: ultras, supporters and lovers of PSG. We are calling for an unprecedented mobilisation.”
The CUP are calling fans to arrive at the Auteuil Stand fountain at 19:00 local time and have asked fans to not bring any firecrackers. Speaking to Le Parisien, the President of the CUP, Romain Mabille, had the following to say: “We are satisfied, we were afraid that everything would be prohibited. The club spoke with the local authorities to unblock the situation. This will allow us to have a much better evening.”
There is no doubt that in these unprecedented times, this will be an extraordinary sight to behold, especially because the fans that gather and cheer their team on from just outside the stadium will have no way of watching the match. There was discussion about PSG potentially installing a giant screen by the Auteuil gate, but they are barred from doing so because such an action would constitute the creation of a fan zone, which would then have to be limited to 1,000 people. The CUP are hoping to watch the game on their phones or through “homemade solutions.”
The CUP have also been authorised to lay banners in the Parc des Princes this afternoon to be displayed during the match, only they themselves will of course not be present.
