"We're starting to have a stadium that lives up to our club": Nice supporters seduced by the transformation of the Allianz Riviera, less so by the Gym beaten by Benfica
Back home. And what a house! A renovated, personalized, and Océnic house. A house named Allianz Riviera, where Guillaume Magnan reunites with his beloved Gym for an evening with a sweet European flavor.
This Wednesday evening, like thousands of other Red and Black supporters, this Nice resident "expatriated" in Essonne encouraged OGC Nice against Benfica Lisbon. "A big team on paper" as a return to form for the Aiglons, in the antechamber of the Champions League. "But if we don't believe in it, we won't come," smiles Guillaume.
In this antechamber to paradise, the thirty-year-old invited his wife Cindy, their little friends Luna and Ethan for their big debut at the stadium. And he finds the decor to his liking. XXL tarpaulins, frescoes depicting Nice and its flagship club, Nissart red columns... on the eve of its 12th anniversary, the Allianz has had a makeover. "The stadium is very beautiful! Finally, it's personal. It creates an identity. We'll feel more at home."
In better reinforced concretePatrick Barbeti knows this stadium like the back of his hand. At 65, he has played for the Gym for a good half-century. "As long as I can walk, I'll come to the stadium!" And he actively contributes to filling it. His wife, grandson, cousins from Madrid... The retiree has brought a small tribe of about ten supporters from three generations.
He was still looking back on last season's grand finale (6-0, a great show against Brest), with this third preliminary round of the Champions League at stake. "It was extraordinary," shudders Patrick. "That's why we come to the stadium! When I see people watching the match on TV, it makes me sad."
Patrick Barbeti came to see the new-look Allianz stadium for Monday's training session. "It's a beautiful stadium. But it was quite concrete, it lacked any personalization. This one's great, it's beautiful!"
And what about this capacity reduction from 34,000 to 27,000 supporters? "I'm for it," says Patrick Barbeti, a fierce supporter of season tickets. He's not the only one. The "Issa Nissa" banner covering the stadium's third ring is winning over spectators. This time, there's no sense of emptiness. Except in the visitors' kop, which is closed following the travel ban ordered by UEFA.
A club strategy aimed at whetting the spectators' appetite, and an antidote to the syndrome of "the stadium that looks empty on TV , " according to Guillaume Magnan. Afterwards, will they open it wide for matches against Paris or OM? At this stage, the answer is no.
This Wednesday evening, the Allianz Riviera returned to school to the sounds of Nux Vomica's "Je monte au stade" and "Nissa la bella." Force of habit. The same goes for the eagle Mèfi, now immortalized on the walls and magnified by the giant tifo deployed by Populaire Sud, with the help of smoke bombs. In this eagles' match, Vitoria, Mèfi's alter ego at Benfica, is greeted with name-calling.
"The atmosphere is still there. The queues too, but that's the game," laughs Alexandra Llados, 37, in front of a food stand. This regular took her cousin Juliana to her first match. She welcomes the red and black makeover of the stadium. "We feel even more at home. We'll never find the atmosphere of the Ray with the Shepherd in the tree, but we're starting to have a stadium worthy of our club. Now, it's up to them to play!"
And that's where the problem lies. On a brand new pitch, like a billiard table, the Gym struggled to get its stadium alight. Pop Sud was definitely at European level, doubling the decibels after the two blasts of Portuguese air conditioning . Not enough.
The Allianz Riviera is also ready for Europe. It will take a feat to hear the iconic Champions League anthem resonate there in two weeks. But the announcer concludes by reminding us: "Football is made of feats."
Nice Matin
