Politics and football have collided in unexpected fashion, forcing Brighton & Hove Albion to cancel their pre-season training camp after a pitch in France was left badly damaged by helicopters carrying world leaders.
The disruption stems from the G7 Summit held in June. To facilitate the movement of international leaders, a football pitch at the Royal Resort in Évian-les-Bains, near the Swiss border, was temporarily converted into a helicopter landing zone. Heavy helicopters transporting high-profile figures, including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, repeatedly landed and took off from the ground.
The repeated helicopter operations severely damaged the playing surface, tearing up the grass and causing the underlying ground to sink. Despite the summit ending weeks earlier, there was not enough time to restore the pitch to a playable condition.
Brighton had planned to hold their pre-season training camp at the resort from 23 July to 1 August. However, after inspecting the venue, club officials found the pitch to be unfit for training and decided to cancel the entire trip. As a result, the Seagulls' scheduled pre-season friendly against French side Annecy was also postponed.