Good mood among fans attending the first NFL game in Paris, a day after protests and clashes

PARIS (AP) — A day after more mass protests and clashes in Paris, the atmosphere was jovial and upbeat among American football fans attending the NFL’s first game in France on Sunday.

Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints fans mingled around the Stade de France before the match, with a visible but discreet police presence at the national stadium as about 76,000 fans attended the sold-out contest.

It was the Moore family’s first-ever trip to the city. All four wore Saints tops with “The Moore Family in Paris” written on the back.

“We’re celebrating our dad’s 70th birthday, so we’re very excited to come to the first-ever NFL game in Paris,” Alicia Moore told The Associated Press outside the stadium.

She hopes to see more NFL games in France in the future.

“I think it’s amazing that we’re bringing our culture over here,” she said.

Security issues in France have dominated the media in recent days, but this was not weighing too much on their minds.

“At the game, no. In the city, some,” said A’ndrea Moore, adding that they celebrated Billy Moore’s 70th with a nice meal in Paris, but that “the jury’s still out on the bill.”

They arrived on Wednesday: A’ndrea and Billy coming from Mississippi; Deborah from Tennessee and Alicia from Texas.

Clint and Rachel Rushing, both decked out in matching black, gold and white Santa Claus outfits, made the trek from Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

“Came all this way to Paris just for a game,” Clint told the AP.

He joked he should be renamed “Saint-a Claus” because of his eye-catching outfit in the Saints colors, which made several fans stop and turn to take a closer look — and photo.

“Paris has been wonderful, we’ve really enjoyed Paris,” Rachel added. “We’ve not had any issues.”

Friendly fans

Since the stadium is north of Paris and not realistically a walkable distance from the city center, transport is required via a short train ride from Gare de Lyon, Gare du Nord or Châtelet, or by subway.

As fans drifted out of the local train station at Saint-Denis, the mood was relaxed as they walked together under largely blue skies.

Once they arrived at the stadium, searches were carried out, customary before any match played here. A sniffer dog patrolled the area once fans were inside the stadium gates.

Sombre Saturday

About 70,000 officers were deployed nationwide on Saturday, along with helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons. Gendarmes were stationed beneath the Arc de Triomphe, while major museums like the Louvre and Grand Palais were closed.

“NFL House” was shut in Paris on Saturday as the city awaited street protests and the soccer game between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon was postponed at the police’s request.

Shopkeepers boarded up windows while others opened temporarily and endured a nervous Saturday afternoon, after around 3,000 shops were damaged or looted last weekend. Some 550,000 people marched across France in protest against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

France’s worst civil unrest for years saw city halls, public buildings and thousands of businesses nationwide impacted.

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