FRANCE 98 – St Rémy de Provence supports Scotland

Since Friday 5 June, St Rémy de Provence (Bouches du Rhône County) has been the home of the SCOTLAND team (Group A), for their preparations in France for the FIFA World Cup – France 98.

“They are charming, polite and make an effort to communicate in French. They are good customers and a pleasure to deal with. I hope they win their first match” said a chambermaid at the Hostellerie du Vallon de Valrugues, where the squad is staying.

St Rémy de Provence is right behind SCOTLAND for it’s first game, the opening game against BRAZIL at the Stade de France (SAINT-DENIS) at 17 h 30 on Wednesday 10 June.

SCOTLAND is preparing for the competition in the calm, verdant surroundings of St Rémy de Provence. “The Hostellerie du Vallon de Valrugues is proud to welcome a team that has qualified for the World Cup finals. The Scottish delegation is very easy going and doesn’t make any special demands. The day they arrived, the hotel staff went out to meet them at the entrance. We have about sixty staff in total with forty working per day.” said Isabelle Perroux, the hotel’s group representative.

Colinette Bernard, the assistant manageress of the hotel, dealt with the problem of the installation of all the sports equipment, arranging it in various parts of the hotel. The squad will have a swimming pool, a tennis court, a driving range and a viewing room at their disposal.

“As for the team’s meals, they need slow sugar foods such as pasta and grilled poultry. I can only cook more elaborate dishes for the technical staff. However, if the Scots win their match, I’ve promised them a Provençal meal with chocolate cake,” confided Marc Dobbels, head chef.

As for the inhabitants of St Rémy de Provence, the atmosphere has not yet reached fever pitch, but here and there you see the odd Scottish flag flying in the roads and shops, as in Christian Alle’s shop, ‘Sport Passion’. Being the director of the local club, he turns up at the various training sessions of the Scottish players, which attract crowds of over 600 spectators each time at the Stade de la Petite Crau., Like the rest of the staff at the Hostellerie de Valrugues, he too will be glued to the television to support Craig BROWN’s team.