1/ To discover the Vélodrome, quite simply!
If you are told Marseille, do you think? The Good Mother of course, the Calanques, too, but above all: the Stade Vélodrome! This mythical stadium of French football also has real affinities with rugby, which has received the RCT like a prince for years but also very often succeeded in the XV of France in the past. 67,000 seats, a state-of-the-art setting and crazy supporters … What else?
2 / To settle in the most beautiful stadium in Europe
Okay, Marseille supporters are not known to be the least chauvinistic in France. Moreover, it is probably one of the features most attached to the back of the city. But when the Olympians say loud and clear that the Vélodrome is the most beautiful football stadium in Europe, are they really far from it? The Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund or Old Trafford in Manchester are real competitors, but do they really come close to the Velodrome aesthetically? We let you go, to savor …
3 / To relaunch the European Cup
Let’s be frank: today, the Covid forcing a multitude of postponements to the four corners of Europe of rugby, many observers are claiming their lack of interest in the competition this year. So to end the 2021/2022 epic as well as last season, but with a crowd this time, what better than Marseille? Beyond the boulevard Michelet stadium, the supporters who will make the trip for the finals will also be able to taste water at more than 20 degrees, the permanent sun and the cosmopolitanism in person on the Massilia side. And that, what other city of the old Continent could offer it to you?
4 / For authenticity, of course!
We could blame 10 things, 20 things, point the finger at 100 problems in Marseille, but if there is one thing that we cannot take away from it, it is its authenticity! Like the others, the city has changed a lot compared to that of Marcel-Pagnol, but you can still find flair, a singing accent and loud words on every street corner. In the middle of 240km² from the city, the artisans of Endoume, Saint-Barnabé or Le Panier always do well. And this tradition is worth all the gold in the world!
5 / In the footsteps of the Taxi saga
Coming to Marseille is also an opportunity to set foot in the city closely linked to the legendary Taxi saga. There, fans of the opuses produced by Luc Besson will recognize all the corners he saw on the screen, from the Delibes crossroads to the Old Port, passing through the recognizable streets of the St-Giniez district. And then between us, next door, Emily in Paris suffers from the comparison …
10 good reasons to go to Marseille for the 2020 European Cup finals
6 / To find Toulon in the final
It is well known, as a good southerner that he is, the RCT does not like consistency but knows how to transcend itself as a person for the occasions which are close to its heart. Moreover, each time a Challenge Cup final has been announced in the PACA region, the triple European champion has given himself the means to play it. Whether in 2010 in Marseille or in 2020 in Aix-en-Provence, Toulon was in the game, despite a negative result at the end. So in 2022, and it is already posted, the Var club does not intend to change its good habits and be present in the 8th arrondissement of the 2nd city of France on the evening of May 27. With the firm intention, this time, to win it …
7 / In the footsteps of Lomu
Few people remember it, but the greatest icon in the history of this game (Vadim Cobilas, you are next) evolved in Marseille. During the 2009/2010 season, the Marseille-Vitrolles club welcomed Jonah Lomu to its group. The legendary All Black had played seven games. More than a decade later, if you go to meet the oldest residents of the Stade Phocéen club (11th arrondissement), today in Honor, they will always tell you their fondest memories of the late All Black, and 2 – 3 tasty anecdotes.
8 / To anger your work colleagues
You imagine ? The sunny days are rising, the sun is beating down on the double glazing of La Défense and the capital has simply become unliveable, as always at this time of year. While your office colleagues are trying to find 1m² on the banks of the Seine and hesitate between tea and coffee with 7 balls, you, your toes in a fan on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, you support your favorite team and you hesitate between a cold beer and a little Bandol. The foot, right? So: tea or coffee?
9 / To see Dupont and others
In the South-East, rugby fans complain that they rarely see the France team, and therefore the best French players. However, as favorites they are alongside teams like Leinster or Leicester, there is a good chance that Toulouse will be present in the final this season again in order to retain their Champions Cup title. It would then be the opportunity to see Antoine Dupont aka the best player in the world, but also his friend Romain Ntamack, Julien Marchand, Anthony Jelonch and all the other Blues. Until 2023 …
10 / A superb Christmas present, for young and old alike
On this December 24, for rugby lovers, it’s hard not to have sent Santa Claus a list of all the matches they would like to see next year. In this regard, the finals of the European Cup are undoubtedly one of the meetings that we check off first on a calendar. And then for those who would be a little less familiar with our sport, this kind of finals open to all where the supporters from the 4 corners of Europe gather in one and the same city, it is the occasion to put the two feet flat at once. With a good chance that this first date will end in a real love story. Shall we take the bets?
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