Four days after a series of terrorist attacks swept through Paris, the French national soccer team returned to action last night with a friendly against England in London, and Octagon Worldwide Chief Strategy Officer Simon Wardle said the match was "yet another example of the power of sports.” Wardle attended the match after getting tickets two weeks ago, and he said Friday's acts of terror, which included a suicide bomber’s attempt to enter Stade de France during the Germany-France friendly, did nothing to deter him from going to Wembley Stadium. “When it was announced on Saturday that the game was going to go ahead, it was where I wanted to be. I never had one second of doubt. The opportunity to show support and unity was good for France, and I never questioned going or not.” Here, Wardle shares with THE DAILY his perspective on attending what on the surface was an inconsequential soccer game but in reality was so much more.
Q: How would you characterize the overall emotion of yesterday’s gameday experience?
Wardle: I was watching the news during breakfast and saw the BBC reporter live from Paris break down in tears on the broadcast. That kind of set the tone for the day, and I recognized that it was going to be a bit more than just a football game. The word I would use to describe the match is 'unity.' Usually you go to sporting events to support your team. But in this particular case, it was the English fans supporting the French people, showing a sense of community, a shared brothership and fraternity. You had these two countries which are historically great rivals, and it was nothing that England fans wanted more than to be supportive of the French.
Q: Heading into the stadium, what was the vibe of the crowd?
Wardle: Getting off the tube and approaching the stadium, the first thing you saw was the Wembley arch lit up in blue, white and red. The comradery and interaction between the two sets of fans as we were walking down Wembley Way, it was great. There were lots of selfies with English fans and French fans.
Q: Was security noticeably increased?
Wardle: Surprisingly, no. I’d probably describe the police presence as normal. I was expecting there to be significantly more security, but it seemed fairly low-key. Getting into the stadium, everything was pretty smooth. There weren’t long lines. Everyone was keeping moving, and I think a lot of people probably chose not to check bags or anything into the stadium.
Q: Did the cancellation of the Netherlands-Germany friendly yesterday make you re-think attending the match?
Wardle: I actually did not find out about that until shortly after arriving to Wembley Stadium. There was a little bit of a moment where you think to yourself, ‘Oooh, maybe something will happen after all.’ But I was just more curious as to what had happened in Germany rather than having any true concern for my own well-being at Wembley.
Q: What was the emotion like during the pregame ceremonies?
Wardle: You had Prince William on the pitch with both national team managers, and you had fans lifting up posters to make a French flag in the crowd. After “God Save the Queen,” they put the words to “La Marseillaise” on the big screen and you had 70,000 English fans singing the French national anthem. It was quite an emotional moment. The hairs on the back of your neck kind of stood up at the end.
Q: At any point did it feel like ‘just another game’?
Wardle: As soon as they kicked off it became ‘just another soccer game,’ but there were moments such as the French fans waving their flags or spontaneously singing the national anthem when you were reminded it was more than a game, and it was even more important than what was happening on the pitch.
Q: Looking back years from now, what will you remember most from this game?
Wardle: This was one of those moments where you recognize that the passion people have for sport has the ability to fundamentally change society. Just like the Rugby World Cup back in South Africa was able to unite a country that was divided, here was another example of the almost-unique role sport plays in society, bringing out the best in humanity. Events like this make you appreciate the power of sport and the fact that it returns the love you have for it many times over. It’ll be a pretty special memory.
