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"You want wine, you only have ten minutes left," Aleksander, the Airbnb owner who rented me his apartment, asked me, anxiously, "half the population of Nizhny Novgorod seems like these times to house visitors for the World Cup.
I wondered about the insistence of my host. The attentive Aleksander explained to me that from Thursday night, 22 hours, the day before the match, the stores were no longer allowed to sell wine or alcohol, because of the World Cup.
"I know a very good wine shop, can we go, if you want? " Alexsander insisted, perhaps because my French status reminded him of vineyards and other great wines. Did he wish to drink on the occasion of a victory of the Blues the next day? It seemed presumptuous to buy wine in advance and I do not like to cause fate: I declined.
From the day before, the entire city Nizhny Novogorod was in tune with the France – Uruguay match that was held on Friday. Downtown blocked, atmosphere of fair with fanfares and groups of rocks in the streets, full of fans from around the world, a riot of flags, horns, disguised supporters, vuvuzelas, djembes, darboukas. 19659002] In bulk, we crossed an Egyptian who had just banged eight hours by bus to airbnise at a Nijni-Novgorodian house ("I'm for France, of course!"), Two Saudis, who had just arrived in Moscow ( "We have not planned to see our team in pool, we are patriotic but realistic!"), Chained with 7 hours of train to see the match France – Uruguay ("You will win, you are the best"), Chinese who, politely, refused to tell us if they were for France or Uruguay.
We also met an Argentinian to whom we addressed hypocritical regrets: "It will be hard to watch this game. I had a hard time getting over it anyway. " he confessed
Obelix to Maxime Gorky
In Nizhny Novgorod, the brand new stadium is placed on the banks of the Volga as an illuminated space shuttle, from which could come ET
"This stadium it was so expensive, what will it be after? " plague Alexei, a resident of the city
The brand new subway station is sparkling and smells fresh paint. She was released a month ago. Everything has been done so that the movements of the supporters are facilitated, between the station, the stadium, and the "Fan Fest" in the city center, next to the square Maxime Gorki (it is there, in Nizhny Novgorod born the writer). But it seems that the club Nizhny is super zero … In short, all the inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod are more than skeptical of this expensive stadium that has been stuck in their legs.
Aleksander, my owner, and Olga, his wife, do not like football. They can not remember who Russia will play on Saturday. The unexpected performance of their national team leaves them of marble.
"We are dead in football, we Russians! It is already a miracle that we are in the quarterfinals. We will lose of course." [19659010Isitcourteoustome?AlltheRussiansImetbeforethematchtellmetheirloveforFranceAsAnastasyaRussianbutgrimedinbluewhitered:
"It's already magic if you're in quarters, Russia I believe more in victory France!"
In a kind of nationalistico-megalomaniac delirium, I sometimes have the impression that the whole city has put on our colors. Blue White Red. In fact, it's because the Russian flag, red white blue, looks a lot like ours: "Uh, it's yours that looks like ours, sorry!" correct me Marina, my translator.
(Doan Bui)
What does it matter? All this riot of blue, white, red, it is the effect of an LSD. Oh, an Obelix posing next to a bronze statue of Maxim Gorky! Oh fans who sing "Go the blues" in front of the Pushkin Museum! Oh, a Marianne who dances on techno!
On the bottom of Volga, David, all in red white blue, poses. This trotting globe that has been traveling for months – also known as @explorefeelgood – has come to hitchhike from Moscow to see the Nizhny Novgorod match. This is his third World Cup
"I was in Brazil in 2014. But it was less fun than here, in Brazil they were obsessed with their team, the others did not care. The Russians, as they do not expect much from their team, they are interested in everyone else, and they love France, everyone comes to talk to me. "
The Prince André, of Tolstoi (and the absence of Cavani)
Russia and France? Tolstoi speaks best. We must read and reread "War and peace" since after all, football is war. Tolstoi recounts the Napoleonic campaign. Strangely enough, though Russia was fighting on the other side, Prince Andrew and Peter Bezukhov could not help but show their admiration for Napoleon. Treacherous limit, guys. As if Tolstoi, still telling the fire of Moscow, could not hold rigor to the strategist Bonaparte to whom it makes say:
"Do you know what it is that the military art? at one point, to be stronger than his enemy! "
A football epistle that could be put on the t-shirts in the colors of Dédé.
Okay, that deserves the red card that d 'evoke the Russian campaign to talk about the Blues at this World Cup. But the temptation is too strong. The "Guardian" did it, "20 minutes" too, comparing Paul Pogba to Joachim Murat, and Hugo Lloris to Jérôme Bonaparte, the faithful relay of Deschamps. At the same time, it had the merit of having the history program reviewed for bachelors who had the misfortune to revise during the pool matches.
Each his obsessions. Me too, Friday, football day, I was still thinking with Prince Andrew lying injured in Austerlitz (Prince Andrew is my darling, although as I grow older I love more and more "the big stone" as the affectionately calls Tolstoy). I meditated on the Cavani – Cavani package! This melancholy look on the bench of El Matador! But yes, it was Prince Andrew! – I saw two Natasha Rostow appear in the Fan Fest: two slender dancers photographing themselves making spikes in front of Fifa's mascot. And so, watered Tolstoi, I felt in mood Napoleon too. Dede, with his voluntary chin, appeared to me like a reincarnation of Bonaparte.
"France is the French kiss"
"Griezmann, davaï!" (Griezmann, come on!) Shouted a pretty Russian blonde, with a French flag on her cheek.
In the fanzone of Nizhny Novgorod, it was clearly for France, in the face of clamor and applause. And this, despite the host on the podium who, to sing a song "French", intoned the "I love you" Lara Fabian. Even the press seems biased. Like this journalist from Burkina Fasso, who is "of course for France". Siriki speaks Russian: he was educated in Moscow … It was thirty years since he had not returned to Russia.
"When I was a student, I could not walk in the street without being arrested because I was a black, I do not know if it's for their image at the World Cup, but here I am very well received. "
Russian girls are indeed throwing themselves on him and claiming selfies. With me on the picture. "Long live France," they say.
(Doan Bui)
"Bravo, France, Champion! France is the French kiss," another Russian told me, congratulating me for this victory (strange, as gays running on a lawn can do for your aura, so that's the French Touch).
Dimitri and his son shout "Go France!" they too, brandishing our flag. The boy has been studying French for five years in Nizhny Novgorod. He loves "Pogba and Antoine Griezmann". And not Kylian Mbappe, the prodigy?
"Oh no, Mbappe, I do not like, he does comedy Like Neymar."
Dimitri's son thought he would see a festival of roulades, Neymar versus Mbappe, Tuesday for the semi-finals. But no. Friday night, unpredictably, the all-powerful Brazil bowed to the Red Devils. In Nizhny Novgorod, it was a little debacle for the two stars of South America, the lords of football. Suddenly, the World Cup began to furiously resemble the Euro.
Tuesday, in St. Petersburg, the Blues will face the Belgians, neighbors, twins, what am I saying. Lukaku, their star, is Brussels! Anderlecht!
Oh there, the Russians would say. Or this other expression in French that they all stand out to me, an abscond joke that comes from "Twelve Chairs", a popular Soviet film whose plot we did not quite understand: "Sir, I do not eat not six days! "
Five days actually, until the semifinals.
Well, actually, it's stupid: we should have bought it, this wine.
Doan Bui, in Nizhny Novgorod
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