Sevag, president of the PSG Fan Club China, tells us about how he and his fellow Paris fans coped in China during the health crisis and the impact it had on their daily lives.
While COVID-19 is present throughout the world, Sevag, who lives in China, where the virus first appeared, tells us how he coped during the peak of the epidemic in China, as well as afterwards. "In China, as you know, it started long before anything that's happening in the world now. We were the first country affected. As expats, we were quite stressed at the beginning because we didn't really understand what was happening, especially at the epicenter in Wuhan. Then we knew it was a virus, and we stayed calm, because we've been living here for a long time. We all stayed home to fight this virus. Today, everything is open, only the schools are still closed. Everybody is starting to get back to life as normal."
Despite the lack of football, Sevag and the members of the Fan Clubs of China have maintained a bond throughout this crisis, united by the love of Paris Saint-Germain. "With the Fan Club, we were sad that the world of football had come to a standstill. For my part, I stayed at home and looked after my family. We listened carefully to the instructions and respected the rules. Despite this crisis, the Fan Club is still going strong because we're still talking to each other on social media and we have groups in common that bring together all kinds of Paris Saint-Germain fans. All this has enabled us to get together a little more, to have more time to exchange ideas. We continue to share moments together. As President, my goal is to promote the image of Paris Saint-Germain and to enable the club to gain new fans. I share its history by reliving with them some of the club's most memorable moments."
In this special time, the objectives of the fans remain unchanged: to win as many titles as possible for the club. They already had the opportunity to celebrate Paris Saint-Germain's qualification for the Champions League quarter-finals against Dortmund. "It's the match everyone was waiting for. The players did the job on the pitch. And as fans, we are always proud of our team. I'll always be behind them, in good times and bad. For this qualification, we all gathered in Shanghai. There was also a rally in Hong Kong. It was a great moment of celebration and joy for us. Despite this global break, our goals remain unchanged. We are present, proud of Paris Saint-Germain. And we have to aim for every title, as we do every season. This match against Dortmund, we had to win it in a special atmosphere and with quite a lot of pressure. We showed Europe that they'll have to count on us. It's a game that's very good for our confidence."
In the face of this crisis Sevag wanted to send a final message: "We must not lose confidence, and we must stay at home. This is the only way to defeat this virus. We must respect the laws and above all follow the government's requests and instructions. That is the fastest way to move on. And let us continue to support PSG!"