French Football Cup – How ASM Clermont is preparing to welcome the Michelin stars of PSG

The red nets are waiting to deploy their skylights. On the lawn of the Marcel-Michelin stadium in Clermont-Ferrand, ASM's usual home, the rugby posts have disappeared to leave light for the football goals. Under a freezing sun, club employees are busy repainting the last pieces of line in “football mode” and coloring the traditional rugby markings green. The cages are not yet firmly embedded in the Clermont ground, but the transformation of the stadium is almost complete: it must in any case be completed before Wednesday, 9 p.m., for the Espaly – Paris Saint-Germain kick-off , in the 1/16 final of the Coupe de France. An event. For the first time since January 18, 2001 (Issoire – Bordeaux, already in the French Cup), the Jaunards' lair will be the scene of a football match. Twenty-four years after the demonstration of the Girondins by Christophe Dugarry, the stadium was transformed and had to change its clothes with new constraints.

“It’s an exciting challenge!” smiles Benoît Vaz, the general director of ASM, on the point of a penalty in front of the Phliponeau stand. “We are very proud to host this meeting, it demonstrates our desire to open the club and our stadium to other events. It is very important for the region and its economic development. As you see, it is a first, everything is not yet complete, but it allows us to get ready before, I hope, other Michelin football matches!” On the pitch, the essentials are almost assured, only the twenty-two players and the ball are missing. In the stands, the last tarpaulins hiding the ASM sponsors are waiting to be hung. All around the four Michelin stands, the FFF's blue displays with the French Cup motifs are almost all installed.

Espaly in the home locker room, Parisian supporters in Phliponeau

Behind the scenes, the Auvergne club has been working for a month to organize the event. “We had four meetings with the prefecture, the Espaly club and PSG for the match to be held. We had very good relations with all the stakeholders. I also emphasize that the Parisian club does not has made no specific request regarding their status, that their leaders and staff are satisfied with the quality of the ASM facilities” develops Benoît Vaz. Logically, the Haute-Loire club will have the privilege of preparing in the home locker room. In the stands, PSG supporters will deploy massively in the Phliponeau stand, located in the axis of the goals, and renowned for being the noisiest in the Clermont den.

Match tickets handed out at the last minute to PSG supporters

The Parisian ultras will therefore replace the Ultras Vulcans, and the general director of the ASM assures that he is not worried about the smooth running of the meeting. As a reminder, on January 7, the Pierre-Fabre stadium in Castres hosted a French Cup match (Revel – PSG) and around a hundred seats had been broken and torn off in the stand reserved for supporters of the capital club. The “weighing points” (where the supporters are standing around the pitch) will be closed, as will Rue du Clos Four (overlooking the stadium), to secure the arrival of the players. “We were reassured by PSG who will ensure control of their supporters. Moreover, the final tickets will be allocated to them only in front of the stadium, with an identity check, to prevent those who are banned from entering the stadium from entering. in our enclosure.

The only downside for Parisian supporters: Luis Enrique's players will not have the opportunity to experience a crowd before the match, unlike Espaly's players, for security reasons. Now it's time for the show, with more than 14,000 spectators expected this Wednesday.