Football fans and stadium atmospheres in France are often denigrated in comparison to the so-called passion amongst fans in the UK, but while that may be true for a certain proportion of spectators here, it's certainly not true of the fanatical groups who tend to populate the virages ('ends') of French stadia. At Gerland, for instance, the lower tiers in the virages nord et sud keep the chants and songs going for pretty much the entire match, led by a cheerleader who stands on a raised platform at the front of the stands, back to the pitch, conducting the fans' choir with the aid of a microphone and loudspeakers.
Another difference between the France and the UK is that the most committed supporters over here are usually members of official supporters groups who are given strong backing by the clubs, to the extent that they often organize pre-match displays in the tribunes - banners, coordinated card displays, etc. The oldest supporters' group in Lyon is the Bad Gones who populate the middle blocks of the Virage Nord inferieur (indeed membership is compulsory to obtain season tickets (discounted) in that section), and have this season been celebrating their 20th birthday.
A rather impressive display was organized before the Marseille match last month, and last night's game was preceded by a group of Bad Gones parading round the pitch with a banner, and then by an enormous banner being unfurled over the entire Virage Nord. Can't tell you what it said because I was underneath it all.Helped by being 2 goals to the good, excitement amongst les Bad Gones was at fever pitch in the first half because amongst their number was none other than Sonny Anderson, the Brazilian goal machine from OL's first two championship winning seasons at the turn of the century. Towards the end of the first half he even climbed up on the cheerleader's podium and led the singing of a song, words to which roughly translate as "This is OL, if this team gets up your nose, to really p*ss you off we'll make them win."
I tried hard to imagine Thierry Henry doing the same thing in the North Bank at Highbury, but failed. Perhaps Ian Wright, at a stretch...
