Olympique Lyonnais were coming up against the mighty Juventus in the Champions League. After an overall poor season in the French league, the firing of their manager with his replacement being even worse, Lyon fans felt pretty hard done by this year. Like many times in the past, the supporters came into the game with an angry attitude and a lot of hatred towards the board of the club. They showed this with numerous flares and explosions outside the stadium, less than an hour before kick-off. A large group of fans were regrouped on the side of the stadium, with menacing looks shot towards the few members of police forces that were there.
It was ordered however and once everyone entered the stadium, the tone changed dramatically. Chants were now being heard, well-coordinated within and between northern and southern stands of the stadium. They were for the players, shouting as loud as possible how great the club is, showing everyone the fans are still around. Sure, there was one or two chants in the first half against the president and against arch-rivals Saint-Etienne, in preparation for this weekend’s derby. Lyon might not have ‘You’ll never walk alone’, but it has its own chant to celebrate the history of the club. With the lights turned off, all flashes on, the whole stadium sang unified before the famous UEFA Champions’ League anthem came on.
Overall, the Italian supporters felt pretty quickly that the Lyon fans would not give them a chance to sing at all. The brilliant first half performance from the locals only pushed supporters to sing louder, clap harder and jump higher. It was electric! Every French attack was acclaimed, every referee decision clapped or booed, and every Italian attack greeted with whistles and anger. This was even more the case in the second half when the visitors stepped up their game and started to through everything they had. This was the first time I got to go to the new stadium, and it was a truly memorable experience. Not only did we win but I watched an absolute masterclass from the supporters, giving me shivers a few times. We haven’t been at our best in these past few months, but it brought me to tears seeing the team play this well and to have all the fans behind the team in such a big competition, was truly unique. The chants were there from start to finish and I can safely say we have one of the loudest fanbases in the country.
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