Photo: Mark Szczuka
Prost Amerika’s global correspondent Mark Szczuka was at the France v Germany match on Friday in Paris. Chaos greeted him on his arrival at the airport. There he met a woman who lived in Beirut, scene of a terror attack the day before. She had fled to the safety of Paris.
Here is his report.
The worst night of my football life
by Mark Szczuka
I have been travelling the world for the last 17 years watching football matches across 6 continents and have never before been so close to such devastating and horrific terrorist attacks like last night here in Paris.
My flight arrived at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport at 20:00 just an hour before the France v Germany friendly match was due to start. I was aware it would be a challenge to get to the stadium on time but there was a high speed train that went straight to the stadium from the airport, en route to Paris’ city centre, which takes 30 minutes so there was a fair chance I could arrive on time for the anthems.
After landing on time and then taxiing for an eternity I made it off the plane and raced through the airport for the train station. On arrival there was a crowd of about 100 people gathered but not moving at the entrance to the station.
No-one seemed to know what the problem was so I squeezed my way to the front and found a soldier with a large weapon preventing anyone from entering. He explained to me that there was a security issue – someone apparently had left a bag unattended. This was at 20:30 and people at the front had been waiting for 15 minutes by then. I’m still unsure whether this was related or not to the events that were to take place later that night. The soldier said it might be another 10 minutes wait but he couldn’t say for sure.
With less than 30 minutes to kick off I made the decision to ditch the train and opt for a taxi, racing back to the terminal. There was a large queue of about 50 people waiting on taxis. I walked along the long line looking for anyone with football shirts or scarves with whom I might be able to share a taxi to the stadium which would help reduce the cost and help me jump the queue!
When I got to the front of the long line I found an elderly woman who I asked rather optimistically if she was going to the Stade de France. To my massive surprise she said it was on the way for her and she would be happy to share the taxi. So off we went together.
On the way she explained that she had been to the train station as well but had given up too as she was quite tired after her long flight. It transpired that she lived in Beirut, the scene of 2 suicide terrorist attacks the previous day that had killed 40 people. We went on to joke that she had escaped such a dangerous city only to find herself being confronted by a security issue immediately on arrival in what you’d naturally expect to be a much safer city. We acknowledged that such things can happen anywhere these days though. Little did we know at this stage of the horrendous events that were to take place here in Paris in the next hour and the connection to events in Beirut.
We arrived near the stadium bang on kick off time at 21:00. I entered the stadium at about 21:10 after security did a brief search of my large rucksack (no time obviously to leave it at my hotel in the city centre) and was in my seat at about 21:15.
Just one short minute later a large noise echoed round the stadium. It sounded like the all too familiar sound of a loud firecracker that I’ve heard many times at football matches around the globe. Slightly unusually though was that it clearly came from outside the stadium.
A large cheer also went up as is normal when they go off. Of course none of the 80,000 French and German fans inside the stadium knew at that point that this was an explosion from the first terrorist attack in Paris that night that would result in the deaths of dozens of people and injuries to hundreds more.
French fans were unaware that the explosions were bombs not firecrackers
Photo: Mark Szczuka
It appears that this terrorist had a ticket to the match and had tried to enter the stadium but the security officials had found his suicide bomb vest when they frisked him. Apparently he then backed away and detonated the bomb killing himself and injuring those around him. I can’t even imagine how horrific it would have been if he had successfully managed to enter the stadium and set off the bomb amongst the 80,000 fans, including many young children.
That first bomb went off at 21.16 at Gate J – I first tried to enter at Gate N, 4 gates along at 2107 as it was closest to where I arrived at the stadium but the steward told me to go to my gate which was Gate U.
3 minutes later another explosion echoed round the stadium. This was the 2nd terrorist attack of the night – another suicide bomber setting off his device near Gate J outside the stadium as well. A third terrorist then blew himself up near a McDonald’s a short walk from the stadium, injuring further people.
French President Francois Hollande was at the match and left at half time. The match continued on as normal as security officials believed it was safer not to create panic and felt it was better to keep the public inside protected from events happening outside. There was no way of knowing if more bombers were waiting for the crowds to emerge.
The terrorist attacks come 7 months before the European Football Championships begin on 10 June 2016 with 24 teams across Europe taking part with the final taking place at this stadium in Paris.
I started receiving text messages in the 2nd half about the terror unfolding outside the stadium and in the centre of Paris. My thoughts turned to the elderly woman from Beirut who I had shared the taxi with and hoped she had made it away from the stadium safely.
Mark and his fellow passengers had to fill out witness statements
Only on my return to the hotel near the Arc de Triomphe around midnight did the full horror emerge of the extent of the devastating attacks on the city – 129 dead and over 300 injured.
Meanwhile back at the stadium the German team refused to leave after the match and they stayed there overnight rather than returning to their 5 star city centre hotel. This decision may have in part been due to the fact that there had been a bomb scare in their hotel that morning that resulted in the whole hotel being evacuated.
Reports say the French players remained with them in solidarity.
Rather insignificantly France won last night’s match 2-0.
All the passengers on our flight back to Edinburgh were taken to a room and we were asked to fill out witness forms to identify if anyone had been caught up in the attacks.
A Scottish girl next to me in the queue had been at the Rock Concert at Bataclan and had survived by hiding in a room at the venue with her friend.
One of the attackers was outside their door at one point.
It is a moment that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
