Football is for the weekend
Words: Olivier Laval
Image: Le Foot C’est Le Week-End
Frustation and discontent have been simmering for a while in France among match-going fans as regards the scheduling of matches at ridiculous times to satisfy television markets.
All across the pyramid, French clubs and their supporters have to comply with perplexing decisions aimed at drawing a global audience of armchair fans both in the country and overseas.
In the third division, matches always take place on Friday or Monday evenings, sometimes kicking-off at 6pm.
This makes it nigh-on impossible for home and away fans to make it to the ground.
Ultras groups have voiced their dissatisfaction, releasing statements and unfurling banners to protest but to no avail.
Given this stalemate, Red Star ultras in Paris carried out an action plan last November against the pay-TV, Canal+, broadcasting their match against Dunkerque on a Monday evening.
Using lasers from the stand, Red Star fans infuriated TV commentators by targeting TV cameras and taking the direct action to people’s living rooms.
A banner was also displayed right in front of the cameras reading: “Canal+: spoil together these moments”.
Since then, Canal+ hasn’t selected a Red Star home match to broadcast live.
Supporters’ bitterness reached new levels when the French league (LFP) unveiled a plan with Prime Video to launch a brand new French “Boxing Day” due to to take place on Monday afternoon January 2, which is a working day.
To compound the situation, BeinSport, a pay-TV channel, decided that in the same week, French Cup matches should be broadcast at 6pm on Friday afternoon.
These decisions sparked a mass movement of protest on the stands with the French National Supporters’ Association at its helm. The motto was simple: “Football it's for the week-ends !” (“Le football c’est le week-end!”)
All over the country, ultras groups have made the anti-tv message clear, either boycotting matches or by displaying banners.
The scene was pretty impressive in Nantes with a half empty stand and a punchy banner reading: “LFP, broadcasters, your schedules kill our grounds.” Meanwhile, French national sports newspaper L’Equipe, dedicated a whole page to this concerted movement with the headline “New Year’s Day Boycott”.
Elsewhere, the motto has been developed in different way and in a simple but effective manner by Bordeaux Strasbourg and Lille die-hard fans to name a few,
Lille ultras added the straightforward message that “At 5pm: we’re at work!”
Other actions in France include St Etienne fans away at Annecy unfurling a banner which read “No to matches on Mondays” while Lorient ultras displayed a wry apology that said “sorry for the delay, we’re leaving work.”
Grenoble ultras Red Kaos, and other supporters gathered in the “Tribune Ouest” (“West Stand”) after writing a protest letter to BeinSport. Grenoble’s French Cup match against Nîmes is due to take place this Friday at 6pm.
The message was again, crystal clear: “Grenoble/Nîmes in midweek at 6pm. BeinSport you are not welcome here !”
Last but not least, during Lens/PSG, Lens Red Tigers created three plain but powerful images directed at Prime Video, LFP and BeinSport.
French fans aren’t alone in detesting the effects of pay-TV on football schedules and the game in general but supporters there have really stepped up the campaign to divert the focus of TV cameras.
Of course, supporters don’t indulge in wishful thinking, everyone is well aware that however important the public exposure might have been, these actions won’t lead TV and French authorities to make a U-turn overnight.
Nevertheless, If TV is king in football, there are many waiting to knock the crown off.
You can follow Olivier on Twitter: @olivierlaval27
