Virginie Phulpin 7:25 am, November 24, 2021
Every day, the morning of Europe 1 looks back on one of the sporting events that make the news.
This Wednesday, Virginie Phulpin returns to the words of the Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu who said that she prefers to take her son to a rugby match rather than a soccer match.
Annoying words but is she really wrong?
"Every time I go to the stadium, I happily tell myself that I took my son to rugby rather than football." The little phrase is from Roxana Maracineanu after the incidents during Lyon Marseille on Sunday. This kind of comparison can be very annoying, but can we really prove the Minister of Sport wrong?
Ah, the eternal comparison between football and rugby, the low fronts who love the round ball and the worthy people who prefer the oval. Admit that since this weekend, we saw her come back at the speed of a Romain N'Tamack or a Kylian M'Bappé. It must be said that between a euphoric and good-natured Stade de France on Saturday night for the victory of the XV of France against the All Blacks and the pitiful evening of Sunday when Lyon and Marseille should have faced each other a little more than four minutes, he you had to wet your neck. Finally, when I say getting the back of your neck wet, that doesn't mean throwing a bottle, do we agree?
So first we will avoid comparing a match between national teams and a meeting between clubs, the atmosphere has nothing to do with football or rugby, there we put everyone in agreement.
That's not at all what Roxana Maracineanu said, by the way.
But the minister dared this comparison between the two sports, from the point of view of safety in the stands.
Obviously it's annoying.
Especially for the vast majority of spectators or football supporters who behave very well in the stands.
They are constantly returned to their disastrous image.
And then, of course, there are a lot less incidents in rugby, but all is not rosy either.
We also see scenes of violence, even in amateur rugby.
So let's add a little nuance.
Okay, but the minister is still not completely wrong.
Let's get past that annoying little phrase. Roxana Maracineanu seeks above all to put football authorities and clubs in front of their responsibilities. And they have responsibilities, in everything we see in football stadiums since the start of the season. It is understandable that the minister is waving the red rag: if you do nothing, families will end up deserting the stadiums. How to prove him wrong? We may find it sad, but football has indeed conveyed a deplorable image for years. Roxana Maracineanu says she doesn't trust clubs to provide security in stadiums. With six serious incidents since the start of the season, there may be some truth to it, right?
Of course, we also expect Roxana Maracineanu and her ministry to be proactive in solving the problem of the stands.
She can only express herself as a spectator.
But being sports minister is also to shake up the coconut palm and bring the football authorities out of their immobility.
If it has to go through caricature comparisons, it's a shame, but the substance of the reflection remains interesting.