Supporters Club Atlanta behind Paris Saint-Germain
Men's football•
Kenan, Harold and Ian are all bound by one thing: their love for Paris Saint-Germain in Atlanta.
The trio came together at the Georgian city's Supporters Club. "As a Frenchman, I got a football scholarship at university," said Kenan, who has been in Atlanta since 2008. "I met my wife here, she's American and we have three children, so I have stayed here."
"In 2015, I lived in Ohio and even drove for six hours to see PSG vs. Manchester United at Soldier Field in Chicago"
Now a teacher, he has seen Paris Saint-Germain's popularity grow throughout the years: "When I started teaching, the pupils didn't know PSG. But now some of them are real fans. The club's popularity has really grown here." "There are more and more Paris Saint-Germain fans in Atlanta, the club is getting more well known," said Harold, also an expat in Georgia, and Supporters Club member since 2017. "Each day, more Americans become Paris supporters."
"The team is so good that everyone knows them here. I now have to explain that I fell in love with the club when I lived in Paris, and not because they're successful now."
Ian isn't the perfect example of that, because his blood has run red-and-blue since living in the City of Light almost 20 years ago. "I lived in Paris from 2008 to 2012 in the 3rd arrondissement," he explained. "I had visited the city at the time when Ronaldinho was playing there, he was an incredible entertainer, always with a smile on his face. Now, the team is so good that everyone knows them here. I always have to explain that I fell in love with the club when I lived in Paris, and not because they are successful now."
"Seeing PSG here is like a dream. Paris winning the Champions League and coming to Atlanta, it's the perfect year for me."
Despite the distance, the trio rarely miss a game, and Kenan has a special technique to make sure he sees his beloved team in action: "The time difference makes things easier here. As a teacher, I finish my working day at 3pm which is when a 9pm game starts in France. I stay in my classroom and watch the game, it's great!" Like the other members of the local Supporters Club, he regularly watches matches in a bar in the Little Five Points neighbourhood. "It's not always easy to see football matches in the USA, particularly Ligue 1, but we can see Champions League games in the bars. So we get together, and it's cool to watch matches with other French people." "After living on the West Coast, I came back here to Atlanta," said Ian. "I came to this bar because I heard it was the best in the city to watch soccer. I had to see that and once I got here, I saw several people wearing PSG shirts. So I felt at home."
PSG feel at home in Georgia too, setting up their base camp for the Club World Cup in Atlanta. "It's incredible to see PSG playing here," said Harold. "I've lived here for ten years and I would never have imagined the club would come here for more than two weeks and play two matches. It's a bit like a dream actually. Paris winning the Champions League and coming to Atlanta, it's the perfect year for me." "In 2015, I lived in Ohio and even drove for six hours to see PSG-Manchester United at Soldier Field in Chicago," Kenan said.
Both were at the club's first game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and headed to the team hotel to see the players. "I got Vitinha's and Nuno Mendes' autograph, Safonov gave me his gloves," said Kenan. "They were super nice, super cool. We really want to see them win it." "It's great to be here," added Harold. "I've been a Paris fan for a long time, but the fact I'm a foreigner here and a fan of PSG brings you closer to Paris. It creates a connection. Here, we're with Americans all day, and the fact I'm constantly on following the club's news or watching a game with friends, it's means a bit of Paris is here. Ici c'est Atlanta...and Paris!"
