CLAIREFONTAINE. France. July 7 (AP): Even in this isolated training camp the message is rustling through the old oak trees. Steadily, surely the whole of France is rallying behind Les Bleus in the final week of the World Cup.
From the lukewarm reaction early on in the tournament to the honking horns, traffic jams, champagne sprays and pandemonium on the Champs Elysees after the quarterfinal win over Italy last Friday. France is catching World Cup fever. Even In small villages people are talking about France's chances with a new fervor.
'They've really changed. The people are a lot more for the team now," said painter Jose Jean-Philippe, who works in the tiny village of Senlisse close to the training camp. 40 kilometres (25 miles) outside Paris.
Jean-Philippe devoured a big Cl ate of spaghetti last Friday in onour of the triumphs over Italy. He hasn't decided yet what he'll feast on If France beats Croatia in Wednesday's semifinal because he's unsure of Croatia's specialty. "I'll eat something." he said.
In the < :apital where blase is chic, fresl i winds of soccer excitement a ire blowing along the boulevard: >.
"The be st thing isn't that the French ha ve got into the semifinals." sa Id Laurent Samama. a 27-yeat -old Parisian. "It's that Frenc h people are smiling at each oth er in the streets."
In that Mediterranean soccer hotbed Marseille. Les Bleus are the tot ist of the town and many are succumbing to the ^Roland Frltolli of the "Peron" res taurant is adding a new essenti al to his 72-year-old establishm' :nt.
"I brougl it in a television set for the firs it time. I've never done this b efore. But after all. It's La Franc e." he said.
And behl nd the gates of the French trail ling camp, beyond the thick gn senery that screens off the tean 1 and players, the good vibratii >ns are welcomed.
"The scei ies have given me goose bump: i." said French captain Didier D eschamps. "We saw their fervor. '
We show fed the French we had a great I rrench team." said coach Aime lacquet. The scenes
of a suddenly soccer-mad capital draped in blue did much more than any newspaper article could to bolster morale.
For Jacquet, the French are feasting in spite of the press. He has long claimed there was a media campaign against him. instituted by the widely read L’Equipe newspaper, and every victory is a bit more of sweet re-^e public was surprised because it was disinformed." Jacquet said Tuesday. They wanted to make the public believe there was no French team, there was no tactical plan, that there even wasn't a coach.”
The players have complained too. "It didn't go down well." said captain Didier Deschamps. adding "a rift was created" between the team and the public that is only now starting to heal.
An advertisement in L'E-qulpe suggested the changing mood.
Satirizing a public opinion survey, the Adidas ad said: "35 per cent of the French don't care one bit about the World Cup. 30 per cent... 24 per cent... 12 per cent..."
Jean-Philippe, the painter who helped renovate the French training quarters here two years ago, remembers Jacquet as a much more pleasant men them some media made him out to be. Now he feels the public is turning to the coach's side.
"You see the attitude among the people towards Jacquet has changed." said Jean-Philippe.
While French are haraly the diehard fans of Italy or Brazil, there are concerns that the public might give the whole Coupe du Monde a Gallic shrug indifference if the team loses Wednesday.
But it France gets to the final. Jean-Philippe can only think about the great student demonstration of 30 years ago when the capital was total chaos.
"It will be like May '68. Ev-erybody will be In the streets,"