Kop of Boulogne - History

History

Officially, the "Kop" as an idea (as opposed to the actual physical section of the stadium) has existed since July 1978; however the first stage in its development goes back to September 1976. In this year, the first Paris Saint-Germain supporters club, 'Les Amis du PSG', was created and presided over by Guy Adam, with the aim of reserving a section in the 'Boulogne' stand of PSG's stadium, the Parc des Princes, for young Parisian supporters. As a result of the cheap ticket prices in this section of the stadium, a large number of young Paris SG fans began sitting in the area and assigned the anglicised name "Kop of Boulogne" to it after Liverpool F.C.'s famous Spion Kop stand at Anfield. The KOB is more than simply a name for a section of the stadium: it has emerged as a 'catch all' term for a number of supporters groups housed in the stand and almost constitutes an organisation in its own right. T-shirts, posters, pennants and other items are sold displaying the KOB logo (a bulldog on a French flag) and protests held under the KOB name are a frequent occurrence. The KOB has been linked with hooliganism since the 80s and continues to be associated with violent elements within the Paris Saint-Germain support. Indeed, the Kop has become synonymous in French public opinion with not only football hooliganism, but racism and fascism due to a number of high-profile incidents.

In November 2006, Julien Quemener, a member of the 'Boulogne Boys' (a group associated with the KOB), was shot dead following a UEFA Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Hapoel Tel Aviv. The incident occurred after a plain clothes policeman intervened when a group of PSG fans attempted to attack a Hapoel fan outside the stadium. The violent nature of the incident and allegations of racism against the fans involved led to high profile media coverage and a number of government interventions to crack down on football violence within the country. On 21 April 2008, the Boulogne Boys, responsible for a banner that accused Paris Saint-Germain's opponents Lens of being "pedophiles and inbred", were told by the Interior Minister to disband or they will face jail time. Reading "Pedophiles, unemployed and inbred: Welcome to the Sticks", the banner was displayed in the League Cup final at the Stade de France, that French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, attended. As well as disbanding the Boulogne Boys – who are considered one of the oldest hooligan groups in France – an inquiry into finding and punishing those responsible is underway.

On 28 February, Yann L., a Paris Saint-Germain fan injured in a fight between rival factions of hooligans from the club, was left in a life-threatening coma. The 38-year-old fan sustained a serious head injury ahead of the French league match between fierce rivals PSG and Olympique de Marseille. Marseille went on to win the match 3–0. The clashes involved hooligans from the two main stands at the Parc des Princes, the Tribune d'Auteuil and the Kop of Boulogne. Boulogne Boys member Yann L. was attacked by another PSG group, the Supras Auteuil. Marseille fans had boycotted the match to protest against security measures imposed on visiting supporters. After several months of relative tranquility, Boulogne and Auteuil fans, angered by their team's poor results and a mutual opposition to the club's chief backer, Colony Capital, started fighting again at the end of last year and clashed violently at Lille in January. Robin Leproux then reported that the club won't make available tickets to their fans for away games until further notice.

On 18 March 2010, Yann L. died in the hospital after being in a life-threatening coma since 28 February. Following his death, the LFP announced that PSG had to play their next three fixtures behind closed doors. On 30 April 2010, in light of the violence at the Parc des Princes, French Prime Minister François Fillon and Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux signed an official decree disbanding five PSG ultras supporters groups. From the Tribune d'Auteuil, the groups Supras Auteuil 1991, Paris 1970 la Grinta and Les Authentiks were dissolved. At the other end of the pitch, the Kop of Boulogne lost Commando Loubard and Milice Paris. Once again, however, it was unclear how this would result in anything different regarding violence in the stands. Technically, the Boulogne Boys (the most notorious of PSG ultras) were banned in 2008, but most of their members have simply infiltrated other groups in the Kop of Boulogne.

On 13 May 2010, supporters of the Tribune de Auteuil called for a "peaceful march" during last season's final league match against Montpellier in protest against the new anti-violence plan which was being set up by the club management. On 14 May, Sébastien Bazin extended the tenure of President Robin Leproux in Paris until 2013. After a season marked by the violence, Robin Leproux announced the main measures of "All PSG", an anti-violence plan to pacify the Parc des Princes: removal of subscriptions, random distribution of seats and fully supervision by the club over the fans. It was a powerful measure by the club which intended to finally turn a page in its history, often punctuated by serious incidents due to the increasing antagonism between supporters of Auteuil and Boulogne. Since the deadly assault against Yann Lorence during the PSG-OM on 28 February 2010, Robin Leproux and the club wanted to revolutionize the Parc des Princes.