For the past week, my Facebook feed and wall have been bombarded by videos and articles about the Irish fans having a great time in France. I think they have given a very positive image of the country, and when I read the comments on Facebook like "I want to get an Irish boyfriend/girlfriend" or "that's it, I'm moving to Ireland", I can't help but think there might be a wave of French immigration on the way!! I knew the Irish were the best fans in the world, but I never suspected it would make the French headlines as much as it did.
Now, in some twisted kind of fate, France will play against Ireland on Sunday. For the Irish, it will be some sort of revenge on that infamous world cup qualifier seven years ago. The two teams haven't met since that day, but we well know that the Irish haven't forgotten the "incident". Thierry Henry better not be at the stadium watching the match! As a matter of fact, a few memes have already started popping out online...
One of my colleague told me if Ireland wins on Sunday, there will be nobody at work on Monday. No need take a day off to avoid the slagging then! Mind you, I now work in very small company so I'm not too worried about that. It won't be like the last time, when 80% of my colleagues were men and football fans.
The big question at the moment is more "Who will I support?" The answer should be obvious because I am French, but I've lived here for so long that I deeply care for Ireland as well. You should have seen me last night, I felt quite emotional when Ireland scored that goal. So no, the answer is not that obvious.
In a way, I'd like to see Ireland win because they've never gone that far in a Football competition, but on the other hand, I feel French more than Irish so of course I'd love to see my country win. There is still some patriotism left in me!! I think that either way, I will be happy and disappointed at the same time.
My plan is to enjoy the match as much as I can, even if I might risk a heart attack for 90 minutes! And well, all I can say is "let the best team win!" It's only a game after all (that's why I kept telling my colleagues after their loss against France). Once thing for sure, Ireland playing France in France will be a very special moment on and off the pitch, and I can't wait to see it.
Let's just hope the referees do a good job this time!
