On Wednesday, a press conference was held at the headquarters of OGC Nice, bringing together club leaders and representatives of supporter groups (CDS, BSN, ARN, ROVERS, AFSN). The aim was to denounce the lack of train seats provided by SNCF for Nice supporters traveling to the League Cup final at the Stade de France on April 22.
“We feel a bit out of France. I wonder if Nice, the fifth largest city in France, is really in France when I see that SNCF, a public service, is not capable of transporting Nice taxpayers to Paris,” expressed Maurice Cohen, president of OGC Nice, in a burst of anger against SNCF. On April 22, the day of the League Cup final, 21,091 seats are reserved for Nice supporters. For now, SNCF provides only 4,671 seats. This is not sufficient in the eyes of supporters and the club. The calculation is quick: 15,000 people from Nice will have to travel to Paris by road, using buses or private cars. The risk is greater and some families will give up on making the trip. “We understand SNCF’s arguments. But there are limits. The final is an exceptional event, and an exceptional arrangement must be put in place,” specified Jean-Marie Gasparini, president of the CDS (Supporters’ Club). SNCF’s argument is simple and purely technical: April 22 falls during a school holiday crossover period, and train carriages are used for the return of vacationers from the Paris region.
It’s hard for the people of Nice to accept. For them, it’s not an excuse, and the argument is mostly incomprehensible and even unfair: “Nancy is three times closer and has three times more trains,” comments Michel Morandi, president of Armada Rumpetata Nissa. “Strasbourg, Caen, Sochaux, the last finalists of the League Cup, just to name a few, had no problem getting their supporters to Paris by train,” Maurice Cohen added.
Frustration mixed with a feeling of helplessness in their dialogue with SNCF, for the leaders of OGC Nice who have sought the help of politicians and notably Christian Estrosi, president of the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes and Minister delegated to Territorial Development, but nothing has evolved. Maurice Cohen also wrote to Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.
Jean-Marie Gasparini is disillusioned: “We don’t understand. We wonder if the State really wants to see Nice supporters, who have a bad reputation but without any major incidents, arrive in Paris.” President of the CDS may have hit the mark. Nicolas Sarkozy, Minister of the Interior, declared during his presentation of the bill against violence in stadiums: “A portion of OGC Nice supporters give a deplorable image of football.” In the past, a few incidents may have tarnished the reputation of Gym supporters. The image is being polished by the renewed enthusiasm around the club and this League Cup journey. The supporters are eager to go to the Stade de France, the cathedral of French football, to celebrate the eagles. “We are annoyed,” concludes Maurice Cohen.
Every day, 1,500 supporters call the club or the supporter associations to find out how to get to the Stade de France. But for now, the only answer will be given by SNCF. Ticket sales start Thursday, a week late. Once the ticket is secured, the issue of transportation remains to be resolved.
