Fan Violence Stops Play at Marseille

Date: 01 October 2021 - 21:52

News ID: ۹۵۰۳۹

PARIS (Dispatches) - Fan violence interrupted Marseille’s Europa League draw with Galatasaray with play stopped for around eight minutes at Stade Velodrome.
Flares and objects were thrown by rival fans towards the end of the first half despite them being segregated.
The match was then halted to allow the police to restore order in the stadium.
Galatasaray boss Fatih Terim, and club captains Fernando Muslera and Dimitri Payet approached fans in an attempt to calm the situation.
The game resumed with about eight minutes remaining in the first period to the sound of firecrackers still going off in the stands.
An on-field clash between the home side’s on-loan Arsenal defender William Saliba and Galatasaray forward Mbaye Diagne also saw objects thrown on to the pitch during stoppage time as both players were separated by team-mates before they received bookings.
It is not the first time this season that Marseille have been involved in an incident of this nature. Payet was hit by a bottle and threw it back into the crowd before fans stormed the pitch causing their Ligue 1 match at Nice to be abandoned.
Marseille’s opening 3-2 win at Montpellier in August was also held up when fans pelted the pitch with bottles.