At the Parc des Princes, PSG supporters give their voice to an empty lawn - France 24

Paris (AFP)

Despite the mask and the empty lawn, they give voice: 5,000 Parisian supporters followed Sunday in a boiling atmosphere the final of the Champions League from the Parc des Princes.

Supporter for 30 years, Mohamed, 37, came from Picardy "for the atmosphere, for the pre-match party, after the match".

"We can't miss it. We've been waiting for this for years, since Qatar bought the club they had this project, we had a lot of disappointments and we can't miss it! We can't be at the stadium (in Lisbon) but you can be at home, at the Park ".

"Whether we win or lose, it will be a beautiful celebration anyway, it will be a postponement for years to come," he adds.

Only a small part of the stands are occupied by masked supporters, above them flags flutter and smoke flames as chants resound continuously in the almost empty stadium.

A few seats are left between the groups of supporters but the distance is not really respected.

Applause, whistles, howls greet the actions since the start of the match which is being played some 1,500 km away.

Romain Petel, a supporter of the team for 20 years, came from Normandy to attend the match with his mother.

"We came to be in the mood, for it to be a party for everyone and to forget the pandemic a little. (...) We might as well join in the party. It's not the same as being at home."

“With Paris we have experienced a bit of ups and downs and the last years of great joys. We believe in it even if there is a respondent opposite,” he adds.

Justine Burgaud and her father Christophe Burgaud, from Saint-Germain-en-Laye. For them, PSG is "a family affair".

"Coming back to the park after six months is a joy. We had the curiosity to see the park a little empty and especially to find for such an important match the atmosphere of the collective", to "find this atmosphere and this collective excitement" , she explains.

"We are a bit nervous, it's going to be an intense match that will be played to the mind." "Whatever the result: we can say that it was a good game and a great competition".

© 2020 AFP