Paris: It was meant to be a moment of collective euphoria, with a potential Euro 2016 win offering a salve to France’s wounds after the Paris attacks and months of political blues.
But while a crestfallen France did not wake up yesterday to the party it had hoped for – after its loss to Portugal – the nation revelled in a rare show of unity after making it to the final and successfully hosting the tournament.
So cruel, headlined Le Parisien newspaper, summing up the thoughts of many who glumly walked out of bars and fan zones after the excruciating 1-0 loss in the final minutes of the game.
“We would so have loved a collective explosion of joy. Too bad,” it said in an editorial.
Tears aside, France’s presence in the final had brought a much-needed air of excitement to the country living under a constant threat of terror attacks and dogged by months of violent anti-government protests. “With everything that has happened, the attacks, the demonstrations, the economic crisis, we deserved something to make us feel better,” said a dejected Lazaro de Santana, 31.
French officials hailed the smooth running of the tournament. “Today we can say that it is France who won. Maybe not in sports, but our country won in its capacity to organise the event,” said Sports Minister Patrick Kanner.
Threat
“Despite the very high threat, Euro 2016 was a success,” said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. The final was, however, slightly marred by clashes between police and fans who were refused entrance to the packed fan zone at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, with 40 people arrested.
Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the angry fans, who set alight rubbish bins, a car and a scooter and lobbed bottles and other objects at officers. A spokesman for the Eiffel Tower operator said the landmark would be closed yesterday after the incidents, which left the ground littered with debris and broken fencing.
The tournament kicked off with anxiety over the jihadist threat and fears over France’s image as strikes brought transport chaos and saw rubbish piling up in the street.
“We were all haunted by fear of a terrorist attack. We were fortunate that nothing serious happened and it is a great relief,” said Jacques Lambert, head of the Euro 2016 organising committee.
Despite violence at the start of the tournament when Russian hooligans attacked England supporters in Marseille, the spirit of the game quickly took over and fan zones and bars were packed by the closing stages.
The French quickly shrugged off the gloom of recent months as their team swept to the final, beating world champions Germany in the last four.
Despite bemoaning the “cruel outcome” of the tournament, Le Figaro newspaper said in an editorial the French team could still feel proud of their achievements.
“France must dry its tears because it has every reason to be proud. The competition was a popular success even though its organisation was tricky with the risk of attacks,” it wrote. “It will remain a joyous digression for a nation which... is in the doldrums. The magic of football worked.”
Before the match, President Francois Hollande said the French had needed to find a way to unite again.
When Paris was struck by jihadists in January 2015, with attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket leaving 17 dead, over one million people marched through the capital in a show of unity.