A terrible drama: How Stade de France tragedy unfolded

Paris attacks: Three killed in Stade de France explosion

Football must take a back seat after tragedy rocked Paris during France's friendly with Germany on Friday evening.

In the 17th minute of the friendly between France and Germany there came a first explosion that shook the Stade de France. At that moment, some supporters cried ‘Ole!’, clearly thinking it was a simple firework – the type heard on a weekly basis at stadiums around Ligue 1.


Two minutes later there was a second detonation, which plunged the stadium into silence. On the field, 22 men continued to play football, unaware of the drama that was unfolding only metres away.

Little by little, everyone in the Stade de France started to understand the gravity of the situation. No announcement was made, the football continued to be played and the stadium exploded with joy when

France scored each of their goals.

At half-time, a helicopter began to fly over the ground. Telephone calls and text messages left no-one in any doubt. Football no longer mattered. “We were at Gate X. During the match, we heard two explosions but didn’t think anything of it,” one supporter said later. “At the end of the game we understood. The atmosphere was frozen.”

Yet there was still no sign of the problems coming from outside the Stade de France, so as not to alarm the 70,000 fans.