By Vincent Daheron
PARIS, Oct 25 (Reuters) – The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints 16-10 in the first NFL regular-season game in Paris on Sunday, in a calm and festive atmosphere, a day after fresh demonstrations drew more than 100,000 people into the French capital.
The nationwide protests largely overshadowed the build-up to the game, with some fan and NFL events cancelled over the weekend, mainly due to their location in central Paris.
On Sunday, as Saturday’s rain gave way to sunshine, the mood was peaceful before kickoff around the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, some 10km (6 miles) north of Paris centre and more than 13km (8 miles) from Porte d’Italie, where Saturday’s protests began in southern Paris.
James Brown, a 51-year-old Saints fan who travelled to Paris especially for the game, told Reuters the atmosphere around the stadium was “wonderful, really good”.
The police presence appeared neither heavy nor unusual at the Stade de France, which hosted rugby sevens and athletics during the 2024 Paris Olympics and regularly serves as the home ground for the French national rugby and soccer teams.
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in France on Saturday, with largely peaceful rallies giving way to clashes in Paris and Marseille as night fell despite a huge security operation aimed at preventing a repeat of last week’s unrest.
The main demonstration took place on the southeastern fringes of Paris, where at least 110,000 people turned out to denounce rising living costs and growing inequality.
“We didn’t notice much yesterday,” 38-year-old Steelers fan Lukas Baldridge told Reuters. “We came in, went to a bar, got some drinks, got dinner, went home, didn’t see any protesting.
“Streets were closed. Most shops were closed. That felt unusual maybe but I don’t know enough about Paris to know what is normal and what’s not normal.”
The party was in full swing in a packed stadium when the game kicked off at 2.30 p.m. (1330 GMT), after French stars Antoine Dupont and Teddy Riner were introduced to the crowd.
A couple of hours earlier, some Steelers players had arrived at the Stade de France dressed like characters from Peaky Blinders.
Steelers fans seemed to outnumber their opponents, even though the neutral-site game was officially hosted by the Saints.
“It kind of felt 50/50,” Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss told a press conference. “This is such a fun atmosphere. Maybe not feel like the true home team, it was a very special atmosphere, one I wish we could have gotten a win in.”
Nigerian rapper Burna Boy and French singer Yseult performed during a brief halftime show.
“I would like to start by saying how much we appreciate everyone who, in the country of France, Paris, Versailles, helped make this event happen,” Saints coach Kellen Moore told a press conference.
“I thought it was a really great event, really great game today.”
(Reporting by Vincent Daheron; editing by Clare Fallon and Christian Radnedge)
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