“My children told me, ‘You’re completely crazy’.” In Bray-Dunes (Nord), Dominique’s World Cup journey has already begun. While the French team will only start the competition on June 16 against Senegal, this member of the Dunkirk Corsairs – one of the official French team supporter groups – returned to work in early April to finance his trip to the United States, having retired in 2020.
If he feels that the prices are “not as dramatic as advertised,” this former coach driver, who will turn 63 next month, now delivers appliances for the Boulanger company. “Once I started paying for the plane ticket, the decision was made: either we dip into our meager savings and don’t go on vacation, or I go back to work! It seemed obvious to me,” he explains to RTL, with a cheerful tone. “I want to save up enough resources to treat myself down there.”
He expects to spend “at least 3,000 euros” for about ten days on site, including flights, shared accommodations, rental cars, and food expenses. All this, with tickets priced at 52 euros for the France-Iraq match (June 22), France-Norway (June 26), and the possible round of 16 for Didier Deschamps’ team. “If France reaches the final, I’ll go back,” he adds, having traveled to all international competitions on European soil since the 2006 German World Cup.
Among the Corsairs, where his friend Yannick Vanhee is the president, Dominique used to be the bus driver for the group, a legacy of his first professional career. This time, he will apparently not be driving, but he did not want to miss a World Cup on another continent: “I didn’t go to Brazil in 2014. It was a bit expensive for me… It’s a regret because it went really well,” admits the now semi-retired man.
“Heavy loads? It’s very complicated, I struggle”
“I admit that at home, with my wife, it’s not the United States that excite us, but it might be the only time I’ll go. Plus, I’ll be turning 63, I don’t know what life has in store for me. If I don’t enjoy it now, it’s over!” considers someone who now knows better than anyone the weight of a washing machine.
Because this World Cup, Dominique will have truly earned it. After struggling to find work by applying to most of his acquaintances, including in neighboring Belgium, he does not hold back when he is on duty. “It’s very complicated with heavy loads. It’s not completely suitable for an old guy like me… I struggle. When I come home, I’m exhausted,” testifies the sixty-year-old, currently dealing with starting lumbago medications.
“It’s paradoxical because I do like what I do: the people I work with are nice. They told me it was very courageous to go back to work like that. I myself am surprised to have resumed because really, quitting work was a relief,” he continues, with 35 years of union activism. In reality, he knows he is well supported by an adapted schedule, almost half-time as a temp, and especially by his colleagues who try to best distribute the tasks: “They take care of the fridges!”.
“I have sciatica so I try to recover, to heal between two days. But I will go to the World Cup, with back pain or not!” he concludes, expecting to earn a salary equivalent to the minimum legal wage in addition to his estimated retirement around 1,800 euros. And then? He does not rule out trying the experience again for a vacation budget, but only once the third star is in hand.
