A year late, Metz’s “Horda Frenetik” celebrates its 25th birthday in the grenade’s home match against Laval. Themed choreography in two acts to celebrate the event, “Our art is ephemeral but our imprint is indelible” reads the banner divided between the first and second ring, while a large double flag covering the curve unrolls on the steps. In the upper part, against a background of bricks, hang many imaginary paintings portraying the moments, friends, sections, groups, missing persons who have marked these long years of theirs.
Below, in the largest frame still hanging on a hypothetical wall, a curve cover opens first with a mural bearing the name of the “Horda Frenetik” which, secondly, was then lowered to make room for the Graoullythe mythological dragon which, according to legend, terrorized the city until it was driven out by Saint Clement, first bishop of Metz. Graoully which in addition to being depicted in the city cathedral, was also a symbol of the team for a long time and inspirer of one of the historical groups of local supporters, the dissolved Section Graoully which in the timeline had preceded the Horde.
Then a lot of pyrotechnics together with a banner for three missing boys, already mentioned in one of the small pictures within the choreography: Julien ultras, longtime member of the Section, then Juri and Daniel twins from Kaiserslautern; in addition to them, the name of Brice Taton also recurs in the picture, another twin but from Toulose who died, however, barbarously, killed in Serbia in 2009 in the clashes between fans of Toulose and Partizan Belgrade before a match Europa League.
To crown this day, comes the affirmation of their team that surpasses Laval by a measure, followed in the away sector by a handful of about twenty fans. Three heavy points in key promotion with Metz still in full fight with Bordeaux for second place, the last useful for access to the alal Ligue 1while the former is firmly in the hands of Le Havre.
A good 15,342 spectators attended this race, a truly important number for the second French category, among these we should also mention and remember the other soul of the local support, the Gruppa Metz in the opposite Grandstand West, sector where the presence of the friends of Eintracht Trier is registered at their side: they also displayed a banner for a last farewell to Nöel, the unfortunately disappeared Trier ultras.
Sebastian Louis