2023-06-05 20:57:53
Where will match 3 – and possible match 4 – of the French Championship final between Victor Wembanyama’s Metropolitans and Monaco be played? Meetings scheduled for Thursday June 15 and, in the event of a 4th round, Saturday June 17. The question burns the lips of basketball fans. And even more Wemby aficionados who want to see the artist one last time before his flight to the NBA. Sunday night, moments after the victory in Villeurbanne, synonymous with qualification for the finalVincent Collet mischievously slipped that “a nice surprise” was to be expected.
“I think the final deserves a very nice room, explained the coach at a press conference on Sunday. The club is working on a relocation. Bercy will already be occupied by stars. La Defense Arena? It takes a very long time to get back into basketball configuration. But I still think there will be a nice surprise. I know but I can’t say…”
A short sentence that seemed to exclude from the equation with several unknowns the Marcel-Cerdan sports hall, the usual den for Mets matches, but with barely 2,800 seats.
The possibilities seem quite limited. Contacted the Accor Arena, where Lahaou Konaté’s partners played a championship match against Bourg on May 7 then the 2nd round of the semi-final against Asvel last Tuesday, is not available. Comedian Inès Reg will perform there on Saturday, June 17 and a convention will be held there two days earlier. “The schedule of the finals is not compatible with the room,” confirms Alain Bouvard, president of the Mets.
For Paris La Defense Arena, where the Nanterre club played a match against Asvel in March in front of 16,319 spectators (national record for an indoor championship match), it is the time needed to put the basketball court in configuration and the economic uncertainty of such an event that would pose a problem. The Mets players and staff, determined to thwart the odds against Monaco, also fear that the lack of benchmarks will deprive them of the precious advantage of playing “at home”. But the main argument of the usual room for Racing rugby players is to be able to host match 3 and the possible 4th round.
Staying at Marcel-Cerdan is not yet ruled out
The leaders of Boulogne-Levallois have also contacted their counterparts from the Orleans club to find out the availability of the Co’Met, a 10,000-seat basketball court that opened in January. Since April 1, this modern complex has been hosting matches for Pro B residents. Discussions have been going on for several weeks and also concerned the possibility of a match 5 of the semi-final between the Mets and Asvel.
But the place that seems to have everyone’s vote, from players to managers and including the Parisian public, is called… Roland-Garros. Occupied until Sunday June 11 by the French Open tennis tournament, the Porte d’Auteuil enclosure will be free and has the advantage of having already hosted a basketball match just a few months ago. On October 16, Paris Basketball had created the event by relocating a league match against… Monaco. 10,424 onlookers and fans of the big orange ball then gathered in the stands of the Central court.
The tennis stadium also has the advantage of being located on the edge of the town of Boulogne-Billancourt, which also owns the Metropolitans club. Roland-Garros, which launched a policy of diversifying its activities several months ago, now wishes to open its doors to other disciplines (boxing meeting with Tony Yoka headlining in 2021, beach volleyball internationals in October 2022, concerts, etc.). In a few weeks, on the first weekend of July, Quai 54, a prestigious international street basketball tournament, will take place there.
“It’s the last track, confirms Alain Bouvard. The management of the French Tennis Federation (owner of the Roland-Garros stadium) must first check if it will be possible to uninstall the equipment related to the tournament. We should know more tomorrow (mardi) but the idea is launched… For the moment several possibilities exist. The hypothesis of playing at Levallois is also strong, it is also the most likely for the moment. »
One thing is certain, whatever the venue and the capacity, tickets for the match will sell out in just a few minutes. No one will want to miss Victor Wembanyama’s Last Dance.
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