A few days ago, the naming of the future stadium was unveiled as “Allianz Riviera,” a name that was not met with unanimous approval. Patrick Allemand, a Socialist Party municipal councilor of the city, reacted to the consultation launched among Nice’s supporters to choose the names of the stands.
Statement from Patrick Allemand, President of the Opposition Group “Changer d’ère”
“I have just learned about the latest gimmick devised by the mayor of Nice to calm the rebellion among Nice supporters following Christian Estrosi’s revelation of the name of the future Nice stadium, ‘Allianz Riviera,’ and the outcry that followed.
He is proposing that supporters choose the names of the stands! In pétanque, this is called a consolation prize. It’s a fool’s bargain because the impact in terms of communication is negligible.
No one knows the names of the stands at the Lyon stadium, but everyone knows it as ‘Stade Gerland.’ Who can name the stands at ‘Stade Geoffroy Guichard’ in Saint Etienne or ‘Stade Chaban-Delmas’ in Bordeaux? No one! So they are given the opportunity to choose names that interest no one and will never be covered by the media, but they are excluded from the main issue, which is the name of the stadium itself.
I hope they will not be fooled.”
