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Painting the town blue
Ecstatic French fans begin long night of partying
Posted: Wednesday July 08, 1998 08:35 PM
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French fans were quick to celebrate their country's first chance to win a World Cup final (AP) |
PARIS (AP) -- French fans poured out of cafes and bars, screaming with
triumph and sheer delight Wednesday after their beloved "Blues" made
history by reaching the World Cup final.
"It's a complete euphoria taking over France," yelled
Geraldine Lessieux, 20, as she and hundreds of others ran into a small
bar-lined street in Paris' Left Bank after the 2-1 victory over Croatia. "Each
time France wins it's like a shot from a cannon."
"And I don't even like soccer that much."
France may not have the most diehard soccer fans in the world, but with
the amazing success of its team, it has caught a heavy dose of World Cup
fever. On Sunday, it will play in the final for the first time.
"We're going to the final!" shouted hordes of fans pouring out of the
stadium at Saint-Denis, their painted faces smeared.
But first, they said they were headed for a night of partying.
"I'm going to the Champs-Elysees," shouted Thierry Menetrier, his face
painted with the red, white and blue French flag. "We're going to party all
night."
The famous boulevard was already clogged with revelers minutes after the
victory.
On the field, President Jacques Chirac raised his arms and cheered
delightedly. "This is truly the most beautiful day in French sports history
-- France in the final," he said.
For France, the country that invented the World Cup, it was an exquisite
moment of soccer history. France has had three heartbreaking defeats at the
semifinal stage, in 1958, 1982 and 1986.
But some saw it as more: the most unifying thing that's happened here in
a long time, bringing together old and young, men and women, and different
social groups in a burst of patriotic enthusiasm.
Roaming Paris on Wednesday, it was hard to imagine that at the beginning
of the tournament, some French were less than thrilled about the
extravaganza that would bring unruly crowds, high prices and even worse
traffic than usual.
On the metro, there were no bands of kilted, singing Scots or chanting
South American fans. But there were lots of Parisians with cheeks painted
the red, white and blue of the French flag -- even if for some, the rest of
their attire was more suited for the office.
Philippe Vallot, 36, a computer executive, was headed for the game after
work in an elegant business suit, but with painted cheeks.
"I don't know how long this feeling will last, but let's enjoy it now,"
he said, acknowledging that many French are not the diehard fans found in
South America or some European countries, like Italy.
"At least we're all behind the French team for now," he said. "Let's hope
they win. It may pass, but we'll have our memories."
The fever seemed to be spreading to women, too.
Danielle Trepant, a 46-year-old housewife from northern France, looked as
properly French as they come, with carefully coiffed hair and a soft voice.
But she was dressed head-to-foot in tricolor-flag jacket and pants, all
saying "Allez la France!" -- and a jester hat with pompoms and bells. Her
cheeks, needless to say, were multicolored.
"I have to admit, I didn't really watch soccer much before this," she
said, her husband nodding in amused agreement. "Actually, hardly at all.
But this is different. It's in France, and the World Cup. It's just another
spirit."
Vincent Rey, a wineseller from Clermont-Ferrand in the south, paused on a
train ride to the stadium to explain how he got his tickets: a lottery at
his bank, six months ago.
"It's not true that we don't love soccer like the others," he said,
offering the theory that the French taste in soccer is somewhat similar to
its taste in wine: discriminating.
"We appreciate the beauty of a good game," Rey said. "We are less
interested in who wins."
Disagreeing heartily was James Balen, 20, a student in London who is
half-Croatian and half-English. Balen has spent most of the money he has in
the world coming to France four times to support the Croatian team --
without tickets.
"The French people have been really great, I think," he said.
"Everybody's nice to me, hotel keepers, people in the street, everybody."
But would the feeling last after the World Cup? Not everyone thought so.
"There will be happiness for a few days," said textile worker Nicolas
Tchicedemian, 25, riding home on the subway to watch the game on
television. "Then, everything will go right back to normal."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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