A full house, entirely behind the Blues. Pierre-Mauroy stadium In Villeneuve-d'Ascq, nearly 30,000 French supporters cheered on the French team for its entry into the 2024 Olympics against Brazil.
“It's unique” explains Victor Wembanyama, who was seen smiling on the bench during the warm-up, simply enjoying the chants and encouragement coming from the stands. “I've never experienced anything like this. So many people, with such intensity, right from the warm-up. It's just incredible.”
Like his teammates, “Wemby” was surprised, and impressed, by the atmosphere.
“I knew it was going to be crazy, but I didn’t think about that.” he confirms. “I have confidence in the French public, and we know that the Kop France is present at all the matches. I was worried about whether they had managed to get tickets but I saw that they had started several chants today.”
“You're at the Olympic Games, you're at home, you have 30,000 people. Even if I've already played here, big matches, this was special.”
“Even for guys like me, you enter the room, it's still special” adds Nicolas Batum, who thanks the fans for continuing to push, even when the French team was suffering at the start of the match. “You're at the Olympic Games, you're at home, you have 30,000 people. Even though I've already played here, big matches, this one was special. It really got to you. It was impressive.”
Can the Blues' poor start to the match be explained (in part) by the pressure generated by such fervour? Perhaps, but for Vincent Collet, you have to know how to feed yourself and, on the contrary, take advantage of the energy of the French fans.
“Exceptional” he answers about the atmosphere. “Then the room is so beautiful. The way it was set up is really incredible. It warms the heart. Even when we entered, an hour before, we felt that something special was going to happen. It's great. In terms of emotions, it's fantastic. And then, well, the fact of having won, on top of that. We have to continue, to enjoy it even more.”
Interview conducted in Lille
