Wednesday October 25, at 9 p.m., Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) hosts AC Milan as part of the third day of the group stages of the Champions League. If the capital club intends to continue to raise its head on the pitch after a difficult start to the season, it also hopes that the Parc des Princes will not be transformed into a political platform, in the middle of the war between Israel and Hamas. Beyond the performances of Kylian Mbappé and his teammates, particular attention will be paid to the stadium spans.
In view of the international situation and its echo in France, it is possible that banners and flags of support for the Palestinians will be brandished by the Collectif Ultra Paris, a group of several associations of supporters, with pro-Palestinian positions. This was not the case on Saturday during the reception of Strasbourg in Ligue 1. But the Auteuil corner, where the ultras sit, was closed following the sanction imposed by the disciplinary committee of the Professional League for the homophobic remarks made during the Marseille Olympique reception on September 24.
A year ago today, PSG faced the Israelis of Maccabi Haifa at home, once again, in the most prestigious of European cups. And, that evening, despite the club’s regulations which provided for exclusion from the enclosure for any spectator displaying “ [un] flag, [une] scarf or all [autre] accessory of the opposing team outside the visitors area, as well as a flag[’un] countries not represented in the team », around ten standards as well as a banner “Gaza exists, Gaza resists, free Palestine” were seen. Today, the said regulation – which has been amended – prohibits “any medium of a nature or used for political, ideological, religious, philosophical, advertising, commercial purposes or delivering an insulting or vexatious message”.
“The reflection of society”
One of the PSG players, Achraf Hakimi, has already shown his support for the Palestinian cause. In May 2021, as tensions in the Middle East increased, the Moroccan international – who wore the colors of Inter Milan – took a stand, relaying the hashtag “#FreePalestine” on social networks. A few months later, when the Champions Trophy, between Paris and Nantes, was relocated to Tel Aviv, the right-back was booed copiously by the public each time he took the ball.
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