“No matter what happens, the atmosphere, the results, we have to be there”. This sentence is undoubtedly the one that came up the most in the mouths of the 300 supporters present this Thursday morning at the State. The first training session of the season open to the public, like a reunion 48 hours from the start of the Ligue 2 season.
A reunion, of course, but at a good distance. Covid obliges, ASSE players were instructed not to approach supporters (nor journalists, for that matter). No autographs, no small talk. For a good hour, the supporters had to content themselves with remaining behind the barrier which separated them from the training ground.
This distance was not only physical. It could also be felt in the attitude of the Saint-Etienne fans. No banners or hostile messages, certainly, but no applause or strong encouragement either. We come to observe, we wait to see, so as not to be disappointed once again…
Laurent Batlles wants more training open to the public, but…
For his part, the new coach of the Greens, Laurent Batlles, said to himself “happy“of this return of the supporters to the State. With the desire, for him, to open up more training to them this season. “Of course I would like it to be done more regularlyassures the technician, but the health and safety aspects complicate the situation. We don’t want to bring them in so that, in the end, we won’t be close to them, we won’t be able to sign autographs, which is also part of our job..”
This Saturday, for the first match of the Ligue 2 season, 450 ASSE supporters will finally be able to take their place in the Dijon visitor parking lot. They will probably be much more numerous in the other stands of the Gaston-Gérard stadium.
- Dijon – ASSE, first day of Ligue 2, match to be played from 2:30 p.m. this Saturday on France Bleu Saint-Etienne Loire