Starting with the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup, Paris has decided to broadcast France’s national team matches on giant screens — a shift from the earlier rounds when no public screenings were organized in the French capital. The city’s decision, confirmed by Matthieu Lamarre, head of the press service for the city of Paris, reflects the growing excitement among Parisians as Les Bleus progress in the tournament.
Lamarre stated:
“If the enthusiasm of Parisians increases further during the rest of the competition, we will of course reserve the right to open the Charléty Stadium to welcome them.”
However, this decision comes with a limitation: only France’s matches will be shown on the giant screens. As a result, Algerian fans in Paris — many of whom were hoping to watch their national team’s historic last 16 clash against Germany — will not be able to do so at the city’s official public screening venues.
This restriction has disappointed many fans of the Fennecs, especially given Algeria’s milestone in reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in history. Despite the shared history and strong ties between France and its large Algerian diaspora, the city has chosen to strictly limit its broadcasts to support the home team.
