This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
On July 10, 2020, French football fans made history by becoming the first in the 'Big 5' European leagues to return to stadiums, albeit with limited attendance and strict health protocols.
Domestic competitive football in France had been shut down in early March, with the authorities deciding to scrap the league season. In contrast, the other four leading European leagues – Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga, England's Premier League, and Italy's Serie A – had resumed their seasons in empty stadiums.
However, this weekend, French clubs will open their doors to fans, albeit with a maximum attendance of 5,000 and under strict health protocols. The large-scale test will come on Sunday when Le Havre, a second-division club, hosts the stars of Paris Saint-Germain at the 25,000-seater Ocean Stadium.
Because the 5,000-limit includes teams, officials, journalists, and security staff, between 4,000 and 4,500 tickets were made available to spectators, which were snapped up in a matter of minutes, according to the Le Havre club. The attendance at the Ocean Stadium will come close to the crowd at the club's last home match: 5,948 spectators for a second-division match against Auxerre in March.
At all the games, wearing a mask will be compulsory when moving around, and fans must respect social distance unless they came with an established group of family and friends. These will serve as a health 'crash test' for France's two cup finals, which both involve PSG, and have been rescheduled for later this month.
