DONIT TAKE Me Home

The defeat of Russian football players in the mast with the Wales team did not affect the mood of the fans who came to Toulouse to enjoy the festival of football. The New Times tells how, after a sensational fight in Marseille, the "pink city" met guests from Russia

The game of the Russian national team at this championship did not arouse much interest among French football lovers. “The Russians did not have enough ingenuity and determination,” the observer of the sports publication L'Equipe Adrian Kando briefly summed up the match. The attention of the French was much more attracted by the behavior of Russian fans, and Russia was interested in France's experience in organizing the euro on the eve of the world championship of the house. The way the football festival in France takes place strongly resembles French parties, in which there are no feasts familiar to Russia, but wanders full of random “friends of friends”, and the hosts do not even have time to get to know all the guests over the evening.

Non -football city

Guests at the Toulouse Apartment gathered on the eve of the match of Russia with Wales at least 30 thousand, most of which are foreign fans. “Thanks to the championship, tens of thousands of tourists from all over Europe have visited the city in recent weeks,” says a local resident of Fabien, who works as a guide in the TGV high -speed train on the Paris -Tuluz route. “Since the beginning of the euro, I met in this train, probably, people of almost all nationalities. There were even Mexicans and Americans who came to see the euro. ”

However, in addition to rare posters with the symbols of the championship and ads in the subway in French and English on how to get to the fan zone, other signs that the city is taking place the largest international football championship in the city. “Actually, Toulouse is not a football city. Everything is playing in Rugby, ”the local residents report the first thing when it comes to the euro. Almost simultaneously with the decisive match for Russians and Welsh, the annual festival of music was held in Toulouse, on which the French pop stars gathered in the city this year, and a day after the game, the famous literary festival “Marathon Words” began.

“It seems to me that ordinary Frenchmen count the days before it all ends. From the point of view of the Football Festival, the championship seemed one of the most boring for fans lately. There are practically no posters, advertising, information stands in cities. In small cities, in general, you can hardly find a restaurant where matches are broadcast. Compared to what I saw in 2008 in Poland, it now seems that the European Championship was canceled, ”the Moscow Municipal Municipal Municipal Municipality Maxim Motin in front of the Tuluza stadium, where he came with his friends from printerialists from printer Vasily and Alexei Berezutsky shares his impressions.

However, the Toulouse indifferent to football seem only at first glance. Even among the really indifferent to football, no one hides pride in his hometown, which, thanks to the euro, fell into the center of attention of the world media. Against the background of other tourist places in France, the “pink city”, as local residents of Toulouse called the terracotta color of the bricks, from which the houses of old streets are laid out, is not spoiled by the attention of foreign travelers. Therefore, each match of the four planned under the Euro 2016 at the municipal stadium in Toulouse becomes a big event for the whole city.

“It’s more important for us not football, but to get acquainted with the culture of the country. Yesterday we were in Limoga, and it was wonderful: delicious food, interesting people, a tasting of wine. I liked it more there than in Paris, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, ”Dmitry, manager of Tula Dmitry, shared his impressions with NT . He still did not manage to evaluate Toulouse: “We came only today before the match and, to be honest, we try not to linger in the cities where the games of our national team are held, because it is unsafe.”

If not for Russian hooligans

They were waiting for fans, feared, and Toulouse at times looked like a besieged fortress. The blocked streets are patrolled by people in camouflage with machine guns and dogs. To take a walk along the alleys of Jules Ged past the fan zone, you need to go through two inspections of the police. Super-high security measures in a state of emergency, in which France continues to be due to a terrorist threat, added the risks associated with the riot of football fans. After the events in Marseille, in addition to one and a half thousand local police officers, an additional 600 law enforcement officers from other regions were sent to Toulouse. The football championship causes special irritation among the French trade unions, which were forced to cancel the European conference outlined in Toulouse on the day of the game of the national teams of Russia and Wales under pressure from the police.

To all the inconvenience, a ban on alcohol on the eve and on the day of the match was also added to all the inconvenience. And also, fearing the repetition of the riots like those that were in Marseille, the city authorities issued an order - the owners of cafes and restaurants with terraces to remove all the tables and chairs from the streets that could serve for fans in fights. “Due to the decree of the prefecture these days, I lost a lot of customers. People come to see the match and drink beer, but due to the fact that the terraces were banned, not everyone can find a place, ”says Julien's owner of the Florio pizzeria. His restaurant turned out to be just a few dozen meters from the fan zone. “During the first two matches of the group stage, held in Toulouse, there were many tourists from Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, but for some reason the Swedish fans came most,” the restaurateur wonders.

“If the Russians had not started this fight in Marseille, today all the Toulouse squares would be filled with fans,” the local resident Jerome says sadly. He works as a waiter in one of the restaurants in the city center and already returns home at eleven in the evening, since there are no more customers left. After playing the street from the stadium to the hotel, thoughtful Russian fans, unsuccessfully trying to catch a taxi, returning. “Toulouse - the first city of France in the number of students and in liters of drunk alcohol - declares not without pride Jerome. - Tonight, if not for Russian hooligans, there would be a real madness in Toulouse. We would have fun, meet the Russians and sang songs with them, this is the whole Toulouse spirit. It’s a pity that it happened. ”

However, no prohibitions stopped the Wales team that evening. All night, Welsh fans crowded near several open English pubs Toulouse and sang the famous song of the British fans “Donat Take Me Home”.

"Don't take me home"

The leader of the All -Russian Association of Fans, expelled from the country earlier than two days earlier, Alexander Shopin, returned to France through Spain for the Russian match with Wales. The Russian nationalist who became famous over the past week was detained right at the stadium and, accompanied by the police, was taken to the deportation area of ​​the airport.

“I am far from the idea that Russian fans are some barbarians. It is clear that there were some skirmishes, but I would not have to manage the English fans, they sometimes behave even worse. It seems to me that someone was put on the part of Russia-this is more political games and I hope that after the end of the European championship the parties will agree and the Russians will return home, ”the deputy of the region Maxim Motin does not lose optimism regarding the“ soaked ”reputation of Russian fans.

“All this is aimed that people do not go to the World Cup to Russia,” Dmitry from Tula is sure. According to him, the media specifically inflate a scandal with a fight of Russian and English fans in Marseille. “The real participants in the fight have long left. And they detained the Voba bus simply because they were easiest to delay, it was the most obvious. It was a provocation of the British. As a fan, I do not need these fights, but if they touch me, I will also stand for myself and for my country. This is all done to take away the football championship from us. ”

“In 2018, it will be a hundred at a time better! - assures the fan from Tomsk Victor, speaking about the organization of the European Football Championship in France. - The whole country will only live with this. Both security measures and the level of organization, you just look at how the Olympics have passed. In general, welcome to Russia! " - Victor completes his fiery speech and suddenly begins to sing along the crowd of Welsh fans passing by:

Donmet Take Me Home, Please Donat Take Me Home.

I Just don Wanna go to work,

I Wanna Stay Here, Drink All Your Beer, Please Donat Take Me Home * .

* “Don't take me home”, please do not take me home.

I just don't want to go to work

I want to stay here, drink all your beer, please do not take me home. ”