| We talk to Christian Philip, Senior Deputy to the Mayor of Lyon.“A dress rehearsal” The stade Gerland is undergoing a major facelift in preparation for the World Cup. How are things coming along?
Lyon has been making ready for FRANCE 98 since 1992. In the first instance, the stadium had to be brought into line with FIFA regulations. Very quickly, however, the elected authorities decided to go a step further and completely renovate the stadium.
The Jean Jaurès and Jean Bouin stands have already been entirely refurbished: changing rooms, technical installations, press rooms and so on. New hospitality boxes and a security control area have also been built. The north stand has been taken down and replaced by a superb new 12,000-seat stand closer to the pitch. For 1998, the south stand is to be symmetrically redesigned, making the stade Gerland one of the finest stadiums in the country. At least, that’s what the experts tell me!
As a World Cup warm-up, Lyon is to host two games in the Tournoi de France on 3 and 8 June. Is this to be a full dress rehearsal?
For Lyon, the Tournoi de France is much more than a dress rehearsal: our city is actually to be the test-venue, and all the installations will be World Cup-standard: the Accreditation Centre, Press Centre, Media stand and so on. What’s more, on 3 June the whole world will be gazing in our direction for the Opening Match in the tournament, France-Brazil, when many well-known international personalities will be present. We will be doing our best to give everybody a really warm welcome.
How do you aim to entertain the thousands of visitors who will be descending on Lyon in 1998 from around the world?
There has been a general rallying round among the Regional and General councils, the urban community, the Chambers of Commerce and Trade, the Tourist Board, and of course the City of Lyon and its many district mayors. Tenders have been invited for suggestions regarding entertainment for our foreign guests, which will also include the local population in the celebrations. A great many sporting competitions are being enthusiastically organised, involving hundreds of young people from the schools and colleges in the area. We shall be doing our utmost to ensure that visitors will receive a warm welcome at railway stations, airports, motorway services, restaurants, hotels, shopping centres, or when they take a taxi or public transport. The city will be decked out with flags and bunting, and everything possible will be done to make sure that locals and visitors alike can get around easily.
What economic rewards are you hoping to reap by hosting matches in FRANCE 98?
The thousands of football fans and hundreds of journalists from around the world who will be coming to Lyon will, of course, be marvellous for business in the city’s hotels and retail outlets. But it’s in the long-term that our investment will really pay dividends; as we have already seen to be the case with the G7 summit. Hosting matches in the World Cup is completely in step with the outward-looking policies adopted by Raymond Barre (Mayor of Lyon) and his municipal team for the last two years. A city does not become internationally renowned simply by saying that it is: rather, by organising and putting on large-scale events and through the quality of its reception for foreign visitors. We intend to give everybody the opportunity to discover our magnificent city, which has an enormous amount to offer: the finest Renaissance enclave in Europe, 27 museums, a national opera house, two national orchestras, a culinary tradition second to none, from its “bouchons” to the internationally- acclaimed chef, Paul Bocuse, several prestigious universities and many research centres. It is also home to many multi-nationals as well as innovative and high-performance small and medium sized businesses. Our main idea is to make people want to come back, whether it be for business or pleasure.
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