Stade de Paris Congo

The ground in the 6th Arrondissement does not look like a place built for football. The pitch is bare earth, a dust bowl that catches the wind from the Boulevard des Sao. It is a multipurpose space. The only thing that moves here is the people.

The capacity is small, barely three thousand souls, but the space fills quickly when the local teams play. It is not a grand stage, just a patch of land with a boundary line.

The most distinct feature is the noise. When the match kicks off, the sound comes from the narrow concrete tiers that surround the pitch.

A petition exists to rename the venue after a local legend, but the name has not changed. It is a place that has been waiting for a long time, left to the community who continue to play on the uneven surface. The ground does not judge; it simply holds the game, whatever shape it takes.