France’s celebration joyous, troublesome
PARIS — It was a victory for all of France and the home crowd did it justice, pouring into Paris’ Champs-Elysees Avenue by the tens of thousands to celebrate in an explosionof joy.
France’s 4-2 victory against Croatia Sunday in the World Cup final in Moscow marked the second time in 20 years that France has won the World Cup, and came at a time when the people feel needy.
“It represents enormous things,” said Goffrey Hamsik, dressed in a hat resembling a rooster— the French national symbol — and a shirt with the No.10 for Kylian Mpappe, 19, a breakout star who hails from theParis suburb of Bondy.
“We’ve had lots of problems in France these past years,” he said, recalling deadly terror attacks. “This is good for the morale ... Here, we are all united. We mix. There is no religion, there is nothing, and that’s what feels good.”
Troublemakers marred some of the festivities at the top of the Champs-Elysees, breaking the window of a major store, throwing bottles, temporary barriers and even a bicycle at riot police as the celebrations wound down close to midnight. Police responded with water cannon and tear gas. BFM-TV reportedthe store was pillaged.
Earlier, people wrapped in flags and dressed in crazy hats, and one man spotted totally nude except for the Tricolor, marched down the avenue where France displayed its military might a day earlierfor Bastille Day.
Revelers set off smoke bombs in the national colors —blue, white and red—obscuringNapoleon’ s triumph al arch. People climbed atop every newspaper kiosk and bus stop in the area to wave flags and lead the crowds below in cheers. The national anthem, the Marseillaise, rang out, carshonked horns and cherry bombscracks.
Ayoung man sprayed a fire extinguisher on the crowd on alate hot afternoon.
Hundreds of police in riot gear were discretely lined up on side streets to monitor revelers. Typically, celebrations in France end up with some broken shop windows and other destruction, and Sunday was no exception. Tear gas was lobbed at one point on the Champs-Elysees. About 4,000 police watched over the fan zone — packed to its 90,000 capacity — during the match, then moved to the Champs-Elyseesand neighboring streets.
As night fell, The Eiffel Tower flashed 1998-2018 to markFrance’s two World Cup titles. The Arc de Triomph was awash in the national colors, lit with the rooster, the faces of the winning team and the words “Proud to be Blue,” orFrench.
The celebrations were spreadacross the nation.
For all the crazy antics — andsome revelers who got out of control — a sense of patriotismand unity was almost visceral.
Antoine Griezmann, a France striker who scored oneof the goal’s Sunday, told a news conference two days before the final, televised on BFM TV, that pride in countryis in short supply.
“We say it so little ... We should be proud to be French ,” Griezmanns aid.
Mahmoud Bourassi was among those taking a longertermview and he had some sobering thoughts about France’s run to the title and thefestivities it has sparked.
Bourassi runs a youth center in Bondy — Mbappe’s home that was among those scarredby riots in 2005 that exposed the fissures of France that have yet to heal — and he knows the teenage star of the tournament.
“All this euphoria and effervescence, it’s positive but it’s emotional and ephemeral,” he said ahead of France’s win. Bourassi said sports is a “catalyst to bring peopleand nations together.”
But, he added, it must be builton.
“What we’re seeing is magic, exceptional. But what are we going to do with it tomorrow?”
That is a question for president Emmanuel Macron, who was in Moscow celebrating with the team on victory night, and received the squad more formally Monday at the presidential E ly see Palace.