Before the end of the season for French clubs, OL and PSG compete to win the last trophy of the season in France, the Coupe de France. But this year, the final will take place at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Lille (Villeneuve-d’Ascq, exactly).
The last trophy of the season in France will be played in Lille. Indeed, the final of the Coupe de France was relocated this season due to work at the Stade de France before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This is the first time in the history of the competition that the final is played elsewhere than ‘in the Paris region since the first edition in 1917-1918.
The usual host of this final, the Stade de France, was requisitioned before the big summer deadline and the reception in particular of athletics during the Paris Olympic Games from July 26 to August 11. The French Football Federation (FFF) then opted for the LOSC den because it was a stadium with more than 50,000 seats, an important criterion in the eyes of the French body.
>>> OL-PSG live
A stadium used to major events
If the FFF turned to the Pierre-Mauroy stadium it is also because it has hosted a number of important events since its inauguration on August 17, 2012. The most recent, the Rugby World Cup with five matches including one meeting of the Blues against Uruguay (27-12) in the group stage. In 2014 and 2017, the Lille stadium was the scene of the Davis Cup but also of the European Basketball Championship in 2015 and the World Handball Championships in 2017.
The Pierre-Mauroy stadium will also be used for certain Olympic events this summer for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Basketball (July 27-August 4) and handball (August 6 to 11) will also take place in the stadium in the North of France. .
The decision to play this Coupe de France final between OL and PSG in Lille took place at the start of the year when Philippe Diallo, president of the FFF, announced that he wanted to wait to know Lille’s route to avoid the same surge when the Champions Trophy between PSG and Téfécé was played at the Parc des Princes. The Vélodrome, also a candidate, had been ruled out because the risk was too great if PSG reached the final, which it succeeded in doing.
A match classified as “very high risk”
Even if the meeting does not take place at the Vélodrome, it nonetheless remains risky according to the National Division for the Fight against Hooliganism. Clearly, this meeting represents serious risks of disturbances to public order requiring exceptional measures, thus reinforcing the presence of law enforcement around and inside the stadium.
Around 30,000 supporters from Lyon and Paris are expected in the North of France this Saturday. This is the first Coupe de France final outside the Paris region. The concerns are even greater with the Gambardella final which will take place just before (5:15 p.m.) between OM and AS Nancy where supporters of both teams are also expected. The Pierre-Mauroy stadium will therefore be put to the test this Saturday for the first Coupe de France final in the province.
