Europe 1 with AFP 8:34 p.m., January 3, 2023

Not all the supporters… celebrated "Celebration Week", an unprecedented sequence of two Ligue 1 days in six days around the New Year, which left a mixed impression among the coaches too.

A model modeled on the "Boxing Day", an English tradition for decades and which reacted in the program "Europe 1 Sport".

For the first time since 1961, the French first division has scheduled matches on January 1: after five games in the afternoon, Lens received Paris Saint-Germain (3-1) on Sunday evening for an exhilarating duel between the two first in the standings in a full and singing stadium.

The Professional Football League (LFP) had decided to innovate by creating this "Celebration Week", on the model of the traditional "Boxing day" of the English Championship.

A schedule also made necessary by the incongruous date of the World Cup in Qatar, disputed from November 20 to December 18, which unusually cut the championship seasons in half.

Far from Bollaert's madness, several stadiums sounded hollow for the two days scheduled in a few days between the end-of-year celebrations (one day on December 28 and 29, another on January 1 and 2).

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"Turkeys"

In Nantes, the groups of supporters called for a complete boycott, for the trip to Troyes on Wednesday (0-0) then for the reception of Auxerre (1-0) on Sunday.

The Loire stand remained empty on Sunday, crossed out with an acerbic banner: "LFP, broadcasters: your programming is killing our stadiums".

In Lorient on Thursday, the encounter against Montpellier (loss 2-0) was sold out for the fourth game in a row, but the Ultras went on a cheering strike for thirty minutes to protest against the programming in the afternoon a weekday: "Sorry for the delay, we're getting out of the "taff"".

In Auxerre, Monegasque fans used the culinary metaphor: "The LFP takes you for turkeys."

"The LFP despises the supporters and those who bring the stadiums to life. It is a purely mercantile choice of the LFP on the backs of the subscribers", cursed the Bad Gones in Lyon for their part.

Faced with the risk of an empty stadium, Monaco had decided to free tickets for the reception of Brest (1-0) on Sunday, allowing the edition of 9,000 tickets according to the club.

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"With family"

More measured than the fans, several coaches still deplored the choice of programming in the middle of the week or the day after a party.

"I played it in England (on Boxing Day, editor's note). Playing during the Christmas and New Year's periods in football, I'm not an absolute fan because for me it's a family period. (… ) I prefer to be with my family. The players too", indicated Laurent Blanc.

"It's a bit special this year because the World Cup has upset all the calendars. The English will say that they enjoy being in the stadiums on Christmas Day but, each to their own", chained the coach of the OL.

"I don't think that's what 'excites' the players the most. In England yes, but it's a different culture," added Bruno Genesio from Rennes.

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The players responded

"I think the date of January 1 is not very well chosen. In England, most matches took place on December 31... Moving forward a day could have made everyone happy. We want to play in full stadiums, in great atmospheres, it seems complicated to me with this programming", advanced the technician from Auxerre Christophe Pélissier.

With the exception of a few World Cup heroes (Lionel Messi, Nicolas Tagliafico, Sofiane Boufal, Azzedine Ounahi, etc.) left to rest or still on vacation, the players responded.

"We are pros. We know very well how it goes and it's our job. On the 31st, we are going to celebrate with the family but we must not abuse it. In the end, it's like all the matches", recalled the Marseillais Chancel Mbemba after the victory against Toulouse (6-1) on Thursday.

The debate will not resurface next season: Ligue 1, reduced to 18 clubs, will observe a break from December 20, 2023 to January 13, 2024.