MHR-Usap: Takeover bid on the stands, mockery on social networks, Catalan supporters launched hostilities, birth of a rivalry between the two clubs

Les supporters catalans sont attendus au nombre de 4 000 samedi au GGL Stadium. MAXPPP – Nicolas Parent

Près de 4 000 supporters sang et or sont attendus samedi au GGL Stadium pour le derby. Récit d’un mois de folie, entre passion supportrice et provocations.

Some like to replay the match after the battle, others, like Usap supporters, love to hype it up before too. What a bronca since April 1st, no joke! We can always talk about the excesses of Catalan passion, but we must recognize that on that day, the "Blood and Gold" set fire to the MHR ticket office, to the point of literally shutting it down in anticipation of the Montpellier-Perpignan match.

By lightning action coordinated by the penyes (groups of Catalan supporters), without forgetting to wring out all possible points of sale, they carried out a real takeover bid on the stands of the GGL Stadium. Immediately, 2,000 seats left in the blink of an eye, the start of an all-out offensive. "All in the Twickenham stand", we could read on their X and Facebook accounts, before they moved to the Ellis Park and Eden Park sides.

A blood and gold transhumance

So much so that on Saturday, fans of "66" are expected by the thousands – nearly 4000 out of a capacity of 13 500 – on the occasion of a derby predicted to be hot on and around the field. Extremely rare excitement for an away match in the Top 14 regular season, which makes it seem like a finals meeting.

The Catalans did it, as much by tradition as by spontaneous enthusiasm, as in Oyonnax on March 23, where there were already 500 to have made the trip from 16  hours by bus round trip. The president of the MHR Mohed Altrad may well have formulated in mid-April that "the public of Perpignan should not invade (them) during the meeting", his players are likely to feel the breath of Aimé-Giral running through their spines.

The MHR mafiosos put the ticket office under maintenance

The issue of a possible European qualification enveloping the Usap largely explains this transhumance. It has been thirteen years since the Roussillon club, through a purgatory in Pro D2 and years of recession, had last experienced such hope.

Hence the delirious enthusiasm of a public which has also not deprived itself on social networks. Between remonstrations, mockery and insults, the Hérault club took it for its rank, accused in particular by the Penya Trabuycaires of having “distributed free of charge 2 500 places to fill the stadium and prevent the Catalans from buying them". "Be careful, the MHR mafiosos have put the ticket office under maintenance", taunted another disappointed supporter on X.

Blue wave versus yellow submarine

Faced with this rampant controversy, Montpellier dispatched its revenue director, Olivier Spaeth, to France Bleu Roussillon, who came on Monday to clear up the situation: "The sale of tickets was not blocked, we just wanted to prioritize our subscribers and partners", he confided, explaining that he had stopped marketing to the general public to honor existing partnerships in place and thus create "a real blue wave" facing the "yellow submarine". A little cleverness, mischievousness, that’s Perpi’s life.

"It’s fair game if the MHR has reserved some of the places for its subscribers and partners. I would have done the same in their place. They were perhaps surprised by the Usapist craze", explained in turn Bruno Rolland, the general director of "Sang et Or". Whatever happens, despite this shambles, Montpellier is preparing to "celebrate" his first sold-out match in two years. Good for the recipes and the atmosphere, a little less perhaps for the serenity of Patrice Collazo's men.

It's an excessive audience in both the very good and the very bad, a bit like the Marseillais in football

Make way for the noise, the fury, the smell of sausages grilled on the square, the porró (wine pitcher) filling the throats with muscat, the colorful outfits topped with a barretines (bonnet), the songs loaded with history (L’Estaca, anti-Franco anthem)… Impossible to escape this identity folklore, except that the rain forecast for Saturday is likely to upset the "little illustrated Catalan supporter".

From folklore to war

"You can always count on the Catalan public in these kinds of matches, warns Guilhem Guirado, former captain& nbsp;of both teams. He is unreasonable, he will challenge the referee, sometimes he will target a player and lionize him for the next action when he scores a try. It's part of the madness. It’s an excessive audience in both the very good and the very bad, a bit like the Marseillais in football. On the field, it transcends you." With one major drawback: when Usap is behind, the blood and gold stands impose a silence in tune.

One thing is certain: hostilities against Montpellier have begun. And the MHR supporters (including 4,700 subscribers) in history? Almost invisible and inaudible, to put it bluntly, disappointing in terms of their supporting nature. But no doubt they kept some under the hood for the big day.

Who would have thought that a derby which traditionally only wears clothing would unleash so much animosity between the two camps. For a long time the two clubs looked at each other with indifference, without contention or relief. This "pax occitania" now seems to be over. From folklore to war, the step will be taken on Saturday. Birth of a rivalry. A real one.

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