To be honest, I’ve sort of got used to being treated like a violent criminal when watching City abroad. In fact, apart from Germany, I arrive at games, expecting to be still in the stadium, for at least an hour after the final whistle.
It doesn’t make it right, but when confronted by uniformed baton wielding thugs in Rome or Naples, we haven’t got much choice. Complaining will just get you twatted.
Forget any notion that City fans will be treated any better, just because our reputation is friendlier than Chelsea, Liverpool, or United. We’re English, we look English, and we’ll be treated like English.
Paris will be worse, because coupled with the fear of retaliation from the notorious CRS, and the Mobile Gendarmerie, or isolated attacks from the PSG Ultras, there’s also a security issue, with small cells of Islamic Fundamentalist maniacs, potentially lurking on every street corner, not to mention Syrian refugees clinging to your car bonnet on your return journey.
However, Paris is also a beautiful city of huge historical significance. I’m not even that bothered about having a huge drink because I want to visit the Louvres, the Palace of Versailles, and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Now this is where City have really pissed me off, because make no mistake, the collection point will not be a minor inconvenience. It will be a three hour farce of traipsing across Paris, before hanging around in a huge queue, as somebody at the front forgets his passport, or doesn’t appear on the list.
Wow! For £71, we're going to get a shiny wristband as well. It just gets worse and worse.