Deserted campus and privatised hotel await Les Bleus in Boston | OneFootball

Les Bleus arrive in Boston on Wednesday, to a sealed Bentley University campus and a privatised Four Seasons being readied for the World Cup.

At 17:00 on Monday the campus felt deserted, red brick residences shut for holidays as a worker fixed signage, a car blocked the main gate with a small padlock and opaque window film went up at the Falcons’ facility. Thick black screens now ring the practice pitch, with two dugouts in place and four goals set aside. According to L'Équipe, this is where France will train throughout the tournament.

Once a winter concern for Didier Deschamps, the surface now looks dense and neatly cut, about 30 degrees softened by a breeze. With no shade anywhere, the setting should offer seclusion as well as a physical test.

The drive downtown takes 35 minutes, yet there was little sign of a World Cup in the plush suburbs or central streets, save for a fan zone near the marina. Flags were scarce and the mood felt like any other summer.

The Four Seasons, criticised for its cost and fully privatised for the event, sits opposite Boston Common and will admit guests, though year round residents can remain. Inside, the first floor is being reworked, a blue themed breakfast room and video spaces prepared, but at 16:00 the gym was still incomplete, Cyril Moine’s equipment delivered but not yet set. Fewer than 48 hours remain before the squad lands, and in an ideal world they would stay until mid July.

Source: L'Équipe