Tuesday night against Andorra, the Blues of football will play the 100th match of their history in their fetish precincts. The opportunity for Patrick Braouezec, a long time deputy mayor of Saint-Denis, to come back on his memories.

INTERVIEW

"In Saint-Denis, there are two monuments: the basilica of kings and the Stade de France". A long time PCF deputy mayor of Saint-Denis, Patrick Braouezec, questioned Tuesday on Europe 1, knows well the most famous sporting enclosure of France. He will therefore be watching France-Andorra with great emotion on Tuesday evening, the 100th game of the Blues in "their" stadium. The only one in the world to have hosted both a World Cup football and rugby final, as well as track and field worlds, before becoming an Olympic stadium in 2024.

For the general public, Zinedine Zidane "himself" scored the first goal in the history of the Stade de France in January 2016 against Spain. And yet ... "There had been a match in November 1995 between the employees of the companies that had built this stadium, and the Variety Club de France, animated by some old glories," recalls Patrick Braouezec. "It was a very emotional match, as the workers arrived with torches in the stadium, there was all their family there, there were roughly 15,000 people to watch the first game, and the first scorer, contrary to what we say, it's a rugby player, it's (Serge) Blanco, and I had the honor of scoring the second goal, "added the former deputy with a smile.

"No, the stadium of France is not outdated"

And at a time when questions arise about the durability of the stadium, at a time when other forums open in the Paris region, including Nanterre, Patrick Braouezec is adamant: "No it is not outdated. that there is some competition for certain events, but not for all, "moderates the current president of the intercommunal structure Plaine Commune. "When we have big concerts with Muse, Coldplay or others who have already come and may come back ..."

And it is a musical memory that the elect then summons. "It's even Johnny who inaugurated the concerts at the Stade de France (actually the Rolling Stones a few weeks earlier), including a first concert that had to be postponed because it was raining ropes. a series of three concerts, we could not take the risk of drowning all the sound for this first.It was necessary to wait half an hour to announce to the public that the concert was postponed because it was necessary that the RATP put In place all the service so that the spectators can leave in all tranquility It was the first great moment of anguish in this stadium, to cancel the first concert of Johnny Hallyday.