What football fan did not dream of one day being a little mouse to learn the mysteries of a professional football club? This is precisely what is offered The Viewers Team with its series, who followed the daily life of the Ligue 2 club during its 2019-2020 season.
These four fifty-two minute episodes, in a format never seen in France, are directly inspired by the series Sunderland’til I Die, centered on the modest team of Sunderland – located in the North East of England – which is a hit on Netflix. Like this British city, Lens is a mining town that can count on the unwavering support of its supporters. Beyond the sporting results and the breathless suspense about the possible rise of the club in Ligue 1, the documentary of L’Équipe sets out to bring a societal vision by deciphering the link between the club and its fans, but also the impact of the club and its results on the whole city.
Nine months of shooting
For nine months, the northern team opened all its doors to the cameras of Élide Productions. 100 days of shooting and 280 hours of images were necessary to make the series which tells the 2019-2020 season from the inside. When filming begins, Lens has been waiting to go back to Ligue 1 for eight years. The previous season, the team narrowly missed out on Dijon. Luckily for the documentary, this season will be as exciting as the previous one.
Twists and turns
The first episode sets the scene and the characters including Joseph Oughourlian, the president, who confides in his attachment to the club, but also in the financial balance that is sometimes difficult to find so that Lens can afford its ambitions. . We also discover the last (and bitter) discussions of the club for the transfer of Mounir Chouiar to Dijon at the end of the summer transfer window. The second, more moving, returns to the history of the club, directly linked to the settlers and mining towns, and shows how much the death of Daniel Leclerc, known as “the Druid”, and who had notably led the team to the title champion of France in 1998, affects the team and the supporters.
Dismissal and Covid-19
The series continues to the rhythm of the season and its surprises like the dismissal of coach Philippe Montanier, while Lens is in third place, and, above all, the brutal end of the season due to the Covid-19 epidemic with players and staff confined. All, up to the announcement of the end of the season and… the rise in Ligue 1 of Blood and Gold.
“Lens, blood and gold” at 7:15 p.m. on L’Équipe
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