Yeah, yeah, I know, France is out. I hope I didn’t jinx Les Bleus… for once, I was actually out taking pictures of the crowd watching the France-Germany game on a big screen!
I’m not into soccer—I’m not into any sport, actually. Generally speaking, France is a soccer nation but I have never cared much about it. In 1998, when France won the World Cup, I didn’t watch a single game and I didn’t party either. It’s not that I’m not patriotic or a killjoy—I just don’t care.
Feng likes watching sports in general, including soccer, so I usually know who is who and what’s going on. We were in France as well during the 2010 World Cup but there was little “soccer fever” in Nantes for some reason. Maybe South Africa didn’t scream “soccer” as much as Brazil does.
When we arrived in France, I noticed there was a “Brazil theme”—restaurants and fast-food chains had “Brazil-inspired” menus and drinks, clothing shops were showcasing green and yellow items and accessories, etc.
France won a few games and people really caught on soccer fever. French flags flew proudly and I heard mentions of the 1998 World Cup.
Well, it didn’t exactly go as planned… France was Eliminated in the quarter-finals. Oh, putain!
I still had a lot of fun taking candid shots during the France-Germany game.
I didn’t watch the game either, but I enjoyed seeing people wearing French flags. One of the rare times that you’ll see people here so pumped for their country. You could feel the excitement walking around the city.
So true! I rarely see the French flag in a “neutral” context (i.e. not waved by right-wing extremists).
Les Elephants (Ivory Coast team) lost and i was heartbroken. I am a huge soccer fan and my husband is so so. He actually enjoyed this World Cup. Now that World Cup is over, i can stop screaming like a mad woman lol !!
I know how important football can be for fans. Sorry!