THERE’S NOTHING that brings a city more to life than a major football competition and Paris was certainly full of joy and cheer as it hosted the UEFA European Championship 2016 last month.
Even the despondency that had been in the air since the November 13 terrorist attacks in the French capital seemed to dissipate as fans from the participating nations and from further afield rejoiced in the soccer spirit.
Millions of football fans around the world travelled to the host country to watch their beloved teams play in the tournament, which ran from June 10 to July 10.
Among them was a group of Thais, guests of major sponsor Carlsberg who were in town to watch the quarter-final match between France and Iceland at Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis. The once-in-a-life experience came courtesy of Carlsberg Thailand, who flew more than 40 customers and two winners from its social media marketing campaign to Paris for the match. The Danish brewer has been an official sponsor of the UEFA EURO Championship – one of the world’s biggest football events – since 1988.
Our group was infected with Euro fever from the moment our coach entered the iconic Avenue des Champs Elysees, which was decked out with banners promoting the games.
Restaurants, cafes, and pubs were all decorated with national flags of the 24 countries taking part in the game and we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Fanzone, set up next to the Eiffel Tower, where we joined tens of thousands fans watching a match on a giant screen.
On the evening of July 3, all roads from Paris led to the Stade de France stadium neighbouring Saint-Denis to watch the host team play against dark horse Iceland. Situated 10 kilometres from Paris, the Stade de France was one of the places that came under attack last November by the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The terrorists attacked the stadium, a concert hall, restaurants and bars in Paris, almost simultaneously, leaving 130 people dead and hundreds wounded. It was the deadliest attack on France since World War II.
The mental wounds from that night of horror have yet to heal but the victories of Les Bleus, as the host team is known, until their loss to Portugal in final helped raise the spirits of French fans.
Security was tight but not overwhelming. Armed policemen patrolled the streets but not in such large numbers that tourists felt they had something to fear. On the contrary, the two security checkpoints we passed through before even entering the stadium made us feel reassured about our safety.
Seated in the middle of the stands and just 100 metres from the pitch, we had a bird’s eye view of the match. While thrilled by the seven goals scored by both teams and the excellent performance of the Icelandic players, it was the spirit of the fans of both sides that made the biggest impression.
Despite the light drizzle, more than 80,000 fans turned out to cheer their players. And even though Iceland was beaten by 5 goals to 2 by their opponents, and French striker Olivier Giroud was named man of the match, for many fans, myself included, the real prize went to the Iceland fans and their unique “Viking War Chant”. That synchronised clap and a shout of “Huh” quickly became known to the entire football-watching world!
The Icelandic fans didn’t leave the stadium immediately after the game, instead waiting for the players to join them for a powerful round of the chant before packing their bags and returning home.
For our group of Thais too, it was time to say “au revoir” to France and to the Euro Championship for another four years.
This source first appeared on The Nation Life.