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oh trust me, the fans are INSANE. when the world cup was held in paris a few years ago, and France won, it must have been like the liberation of Paris after the war ; i've never seen such a huge popular uprising where the entire population was celebrating together in pure, unadulterated, primal joy.
during the last match i was walking past one of the squares where they had installed giant screens so that everyone could watch. it happened that i was there just as the french scored their first goal. i did not actually see the goal, since i was watching the crowd. what i saw was suddenly the entire group began to jump and clap and shout and blow air-horns as one person ; they were standing on some gravel and a cloud of dust rose above them from the stamping, like in a cartoon.
for hours afterward people were shouting and dancing in the streets, not only on the champs élysées (which must have been an absolute madhouse) but even in the outlying neighborhoods. near midnight we came across a women, dressed very seriously, like a banker maybe, wearing a suit and carrying an attache case. she was very neatly coiffed and had on glasses. just then a car full of supporters drove past, with all the passengers hanging out the windows waving a flag and singing. as they got to ther level she raised her arms in the air and began singing as well ; the car slowed down and one of the boys (wearing a tunic of the french team, of course) got out on the sidewalk, and they both jumped up and down and shouted together in some kind of mad exuberance. it was quite impressive. i don't even like football, but i still felt rather carried away by the ambiance.
even when it's not the world cup, but just some match, they still get very excited ; hordes of them gather in bars to watch together, and sing songs and shout, and if you happen to be within earshot when their team scores you can't help but know it because they let out such deafening yells. and during championships i don't even have to turn on the radio to know if france won ; i just listen out the window, and if i hear a lot of cars driving around leaning on the horns, and people yelling incoherently, then i know we won.
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