Day 30 - Game Day in Bastia: No Ticket, No Problem

With the right mentality, knowing your way around stadiums, experience managing press, and some good old fashion “cojones,” and you can sneak your way into any sporting event.  But let me set the stage before I dive into Saturday's events.

When planning this soccer excursion in mid-August I knew I had a strong relationship with Chelsea, Celtic, Milan and Madrid.  I had worked with each of them in previous summers so I knew them all pretty well.  Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) on the other hand was new.  Not only was this summer my first time working with them, but I mainly worked with their press team from afar – via email and on the phone.  We met briefly at the Chelsea v. PSG match in New York, but that was short and sweet.  None the less, I reached out to Yann, PSG’s press officer, in mid-August to see if I could secure a ticket to a PSG match.  He said no problem; he’ll take care of it.  However, as my itinerary slowly came together I realized that I would not be able to see PSG in Paris; it would have to be on the road, no doubt a tougher ticket to get.  Yann said he’d ask and see what he can do.

If I was asking for an away ticket against a bigger club whose stadium fits 50-60k, a ticket probably wouldn’t be an issue.  However, in this case I was asking for a ticket against SC Bastia, who plays in a stadium that only fits 16k max.  Add to the mix that this is the first year SC Bastia has been in France’s top division - Ligue 1 - in more than seven years so their home games are mostly sold out already.  And if that wasn’t enough, PSG is the new hot team in the league because the new owners have been buying big-name stars, so in my mind a ticket to this game has become nearly impossible to get.  It'd be like if the minor league baseball team the Rancho Cucamonga Earthquakes got promoted to the big leagues and the Yankees came to town to play in their small stadium - it'd be a tough ticket to get.

I stayed in touch with Yann and hoped he could pull off a miracle.  He was at least returning my emails up until a week ago, but then silence.  I tried emailing and calling him while in Bastia, but got no response.  It quickly looked like I was going to have do this on my own.



Back to present day.  Kickoff was at 5pm on Saturday so I jumped on the train to the stadium at 3pm.  I wanted to get there early to see if I could scalp a ticket, perhaps run into someone with an extra, or just get lucky somehow.  My good luck started when I took an empty seat on the train next to a nice elder lady named Silvi – she was probably in her late 50’s.  She was French, but spoke great English.  She was in awe that an American, one from Los Angeles none the less, would come all the way to Corsica just to see SC Bastia play – when she said it out loud it did seem really farfetched even to me.  She had her SC Bastia flag tied to her bag and she was an avid fan.  I told her I didn’t have a ticket and she went into how big of a game this is and how tough tickets are to get, and they’re bringing in extra security, etc.  It was all stuff I’d heard before, but hearing it on the way to the game certainly didn’t help my confidence on being able to get into the game.

We arrived at the stadium – the train drops you off literally at the front entrance – and Silvi asked if I wanted to come along with her to the team store.  I actually did want to check it out anyway, so we walked over.  After a quick breeze through the store I told Silvi I was off to walk around and see if I could find a ticket.  We agreed to meet back at the train station after the game at 8pm to catch the train back into town.

 

The stadium previously only held 12k, but they were required to expand it to at least 16k when they got promoted to France's top division.

Silvi and I first visited the SC Bastia team store. I went back after the match and got a Bastia t-shirt.

 

 

I walked around the stadium to get a lay of the land.  The bad news was that there was no one scalping tickets – I was hoping it’d be like the Coliseum or Staples Center where every other corner has a couple of sketchy dudes selling tickets.  The good news was that the security at a couple of the gates looked soft.  I was going to have to sneak in.  It was my only option.  I knew once I got in the gates I could claim to be press or just ask where press check-in is or something along those lines.  Security tends to be more lenient with press.

 

I made another pass around the stadium and I came across the gate where the Bastia players were pulling in and parking.  It was a large chain-link fence that one young security guy was opening and shutting manually as players pulled up. The weakness was that fans were able to walk freely on the street that the players pulled in from so the lone security guard would have to help clear the streets, meaning he had to leave his post at the gate on occasion. Well, a couple cars were trying to pull up so he opened the gate and walked off to clear some of the fans. This was my oppportunity and I took it. I walked in with the cars as they pulled in and I quickly got lost in between the already-parked cars so that the guard couldn't see me. I was in, but far from in the clear.

Fans flooded the streets outside the stadium, which allowed for enough of a distraction for me to walk in one of the security gates.

At this point I needed to get to the press area which was luckily next to the players’ entrance. Perfect. I walked up to the press entrance and it was unmanned (lucky) so I strolled through the doors with the mentality that I belonged there, no eye contact, no slowing down, just confident strides. I came to a set of stairs just inside the press doors and I started to climb, knowing the press box is always toward the top of the stadium. On my way up the stairs to the press box I accidently walked into a couple of the VIP sponsor lounges and was asked for a ticket, but I simply said presse, which means press in French and they kindly directed me the right way…merci beaucop I replied.

Once I was in the gates I headed straight for the press entrance, which is just off to the left.

I finally made it to the press box toward the top of the stadium. I didn’t have a press pass, a computer, a proper camera (my Canon Power Shot doesn’t qualify as a proper press camera), but from my knowledge of being on the press officer side, I knew where to sit and how to just lay low. I didn’t talk to anyone, I hardly moved, I minded my own business and just acted like I belonged there.

Press box. I sat right in that empty seat and pretended I was supposed to be there and no one said a word to me the entire match.

 

My view from the press box. Almost dead center.

 

The stadium had gorgeous views of both the sea and mountains.

The white building with the tile roof is the train station. 

 

 

Around the middle of the first half I saw Yann, PSG’s press officer and I thought well this should be interesting.  I walked over to say hello and the surprise on his face and the pleasure on mine were priceless.  I don’t blame him at all; he definitely tried hard to get me a ticket, but it was just a very difficult ask on my part.  None the less, it was satisfying to see the look on his face.  I lied to him and said I met someone in town who had an extra ticket.

 

It was a sold out crowd of 16,078.  Although the crowd was small they were mighty.  Being in Ligue 1 for the first time in nearly a decade and going up against PSG, the new powerhouse in the league, made for an energetic crowd.  Along with standing the entire match and doing a variety of chants and cheers, they shot off cannons throughout the match.  I was told that Bastia fans are massively passionate about their club, and after seeing this match I would definitely agree.  Perhaps too much so on occasion; in the second half a bunch of fans were throwing balled up wads of paper and trash onto the field and at the PSG players, which I felt was overdoing it.

Streamers were placed on everyone's seats and prior to kickoff all the fans simultaneously threw them in the air. It was a cool site, but it made a huge mess.

The main fan section. This group was nonstop the entire game.

SC Bastia has been in Ligue 2 since the early 2000's so playing in France's top division has reinvigorated the club and its fans.

By kickoff the stadium was jammed.

To make the whole experience even better, I was able to “borrow” one of the photographer bibs – the vests that media get assigned in order to allow them onto the field – and I used it to spend the last 10 minutes of the game and post-game on the field snapping photos of the players, coaches, benches, etc. I kept laughing to myself that I went from having no ticket to being on the field taking photos…Silvi is going to love this.

 

The tunnel from the locker rooms to the field. After I secured a press bib, I walked through this tunnel to the field. No one even gave me a second glance since I was wearing the bib.

I was able to get right down on the field for the last 10 minutes of the match.

 

As expected, PSG dominated the game and the final score was 4-0. Not a surprise result for Bastia, but a tough loss none the less.

Post-game interviews on the field. Yann, PSG's press officer, is the one in the suit with his back turned to my camera. The interview is with Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic, one of the big-name players that PSG bought this summer. He had two of the four goals for PSG.

 

No ticket, no problem. Notice the tan-colored bib I'm holding, that's the media vest. It works wonders with security because they don't even question if you're supposed to be there or not.

 

After my on-field escapades, I decided it was time to cash in my chips and head out.  I gave back the press bib – I left it on a chair in the press conference room – and exited the same gate I came in.  I gave the same young security guard a nod as he opened the gate for me to exit and he gave me a “merci, bonsoir,” and I replied in a thick American accent, “good night man, I appreciate it.”  He gave me a “wait-a -minute look” that I’ll never forget.

I walked up to the train station with an ear-to-ear grin on my face and there was Silvi wearing her SC Bastia flag like a Zorro cape.  On the train ride back I gave her the play-by-play recap, which I had the photos to support.  She was thrilled…she kept saying “superbe, incroyable,” which means “superb, incredible.”

Silvi and I at the train station. I dig SC Bastia. I mean they have the Karate Kid as their logo, that right there is enough reason to be a fan.

 

It fantastic experience to say the least. The match and the stadium atmosphere were terrific, but the way it all came about takes the cake. I set out to see five matches on this trip and with a little conniving and perhaps a bit of rule breaking, I was able to make it happen. Although Bastia had lost, I felt like I had won, so I celebrated like any proper red-blooded American...with some bourbon and a cigar.

I celebrated the 5-for-5 achievement at a bar down the street from my hotel called Crystal. They served Four Roses bourbon and had a nice selection of Cuban cigars (no trade embargo in France).

 

 

I fly to Paris Sunday morning and wrap up this European trip with three days in the city of light.