article: Two dozen national football teams and at least two million foreign visitors will be here for the Euro 2016 football championships. But how ready is the nation to focus on "the beautiful game"? This was meant to be France's feel-good moment. But like cherries that are always hanging just out of reach, the build-up to Euro 2016 has been interrupted by one distraction after another: Having got through all of that, on the eve of the championship, France is facing fresh strikes at the national airline, and rubbish left to rot in the street as bin-men join the rolling protests over labour reforms. It's a wonder people have any time left to think about whether Didier Deschamps has got the right men in his defence line-up for the French national side. But it's not as if football has been entirely out of the headlines either. Last month, Eric Cantona implied that the French coach had allowed racism to colour his selection for the squad. That followed an earlier scandal that saw two of the country's top players embroiled in blackmail allegations - and consequently dropped from the Euro 2016 team. So if the mood here ahead of kick-off has been, well, muted, perhaps it's no surprise. But there is, of course, another reason for the rather subdued atmosphere ahead of the games. When President Hollande arrives at the Stade de France in northern Paris tomorrow for the opening ceremony, it will be a poignant moment. Many of those watching will be remembering the night he was bundled out of the stadium during another match last November, as three suicide bombers blew themselves up outside. It was the start of France's night of terror, in which 130 people were killed on the streets of Paris. Now, the fears of police, public and politicians as they head into the tournament hang heavy in the air. The Euros are spread between 10 French cities, each requiring its own security plans. One hundred thousand police, soldiers and security guards have been detailed to protect the games but, as the interior minister points out, "even 100% preparation cannot guarantee zero risk". A leaked police document, calling for the partial closure of vast "fan-zones" set up in cities including Paris and Marseille, has been widely reported in French media. On the eve of the tournament, workers in Paris said they were planning to stay away from the zones, considered softer targets than the stadiums themselves. "It's fun to have the Euros in France," said Eva, a 32-year-old jurist, "but with everything that's happening, it could create more problems than anything else. It's fun in principle, but with the strikes for example, we're not going to see a good image of France." "Even though I'm not a big football fan, I'm excited by the ambiance," said David, a finance worker in the city. "But the recent events are on everyone's mind and there's a lot of talk about security, so the euphoria is dampened by that. If there is a target, it will be the Euros." While an attack
summary: Seven months after a terrorist massacre in its capital city, France raises the curtain on Friday evening on one of the world's biggest sporting events.