France vowed drastic measures to prevent strikes disrupting Euro 2016 as Europe’s showcase football event kicked off yesterday in a gloomy atmosphere worsened by terror fears.
Glum organisers said that weeks of industrial action had dampened the party atmosphere, and there was little fanfare around Paris suggesting that a major sporting event had started.
“The image that is being given is not the one we wanted,” chief organiser Jacques Lambert admitted just hours before the tournament’s opening match at which France faced Romania at the capital’s Stade de France.
The football extravaganza comes after months of seemingly endless woes with the country plagued by terror attacks, floods, political turmoil and strikes.
But die-hard fans like Daniel Suciu from Romania refused to be put off by the gloom and fear of militants striking the event.
“We live in a dangerous world. I know it is dangerous but to support Romania is just more important than everything,” the 27-year-old said as he headed to a massive fan zone in Paris for the opening match.
President Francois Hollande said he would take “all necessary measures” to ensure the championships pass off without a hitch after train drivers vowed to disrupt services to the stadium for the opening game.  “Public services will be provided...The whole of Europe will be watching.”
Public announcements on the metro system were made in several languages to help fans reach the stadium.
Both Paris and the southern city of Marseille were also scrambling to clear stinking piles of rubbish from pavements after trade unionists blockaded incineration plants and some bin men walked off the job.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo sent extra rubbish trucks to clean the streets, but several fans and locals supported the French right to strike and said they were not that bothered.
“It’s a pity, but I don’t care really. Besides the garbage, everything is well-organised,” said 40-year-old Romanian fan Moraru.
Another Romanian, Freddy, 26, said he didn’t know why the workers were striking, but “if the situation is extremely bad, the strikers shouldn’t stop, it is the best time to do it to get true attention.”
France is also on edge over the prospect of another terror attack, with the championship coming just seven months after Islamic State militants killed 130 people in Paris.
The first match took place at the Stade de France in Paris where three militants blew themselves up at the start of the November 13 carnage, which also targeted a concert hall, cafes and restaurants.
Up to 90,000 police and private security guards have been drafted in to protect players and supporters at the tournament.
In another headache for organisers, Air France pilots have called for a four-day strike from today, when an estimated 2mn foreign fans will begin arriving in earnest.
But Air France chief executive Frederic Gagey promised that more than 80 % of flights would be operating today.
While striking workers have varying demands, they are united against labour reforms which the government forced through parliament without a vote, which prompted a bitter standoff with the unions.
Despite the potential disruption to the football championships, the French government is refusing to budge on a law it says will help reduce unemployment.
“Let us be clear, the government has no intention of withdrawing this law, or of unravelling it,” Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri said.
Powerful CGT union leader Philippe Martinez, who is spearheading the industrial unrest, said he would not be “blackmailed with the Euro. Our mobilisation will continue.”
Despite the gloom, some are hoping the tournament will provide a welcome respite from the woes that have dogged and divided France.