"Being together is already a victory". The tone was set in the strap-line of the 2020-21 season ticket campaign. After all of the restrictions put in place in recent months, after having seen last season brutally interrupted, and having witnessed the desperately sad matches played behind closed doors across Europe, the simple fact that the ball will be moving in front of fans in France is already a initial victory. We can’t wait. The get together, five and a half months after the craziness of the derby against Monaco, is scheduled for the weekend of 23 August. The exact date should be discovered on Saturday, the day after Juventus - Lyon.

And with two weeks to go until the long-awaited return, we discovered this afternoon that this match between Nice v Lens will not be played in complete silence. Providing the health precautions in place are not tightened in the next couple of weeks, the Allianz Riviera will be able to host 5,000 people. The decision taken at a national level was extended to a local level at the meeting at the Prefecture, where representatives of the State, Town Hall and club were all present. With the Ligue due to communicate the protocol to be put in place for Ligue 1 Uber Eats matches in due course, Le Gym started on the front foot by presenting a full health plan in order to allow for the return of spectators to the stadium.

Once the number of people required to organise a top-flight match have been deducted from the total (staff from both clubs, security, broadcasters, etc.), a little over 4,000 tickets will be made available for supporters. Season ticket holders will of course get priority on these tickets (read below).

Face masks will be obligatory (except for children under 11 years old). And the stadium doors will open two hours before kick-off in order to ease the flow of people and limit large congregations of people at the entrance of the stadium.

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