Marseille-Nice match abandoned after fans storm the field - The Washington Post

A Ligue 1 match Sunday between Marseille and host Nice was interrupted when fans stormed onto the field and sparked a brawl. Players for Marseille were subsequently shown in photos displaying wounds seemingly inflicted during the melee.

The fracas caused a long delay, during which both teams left the field. Eventually, the Nice side reemerged from the tunnel to complete the game but Marseille did not, with the club’s president claiming he wasn’t convinced it was safe to do so. The game, in which Nice held a 1-0 lead, was abandoned at that point.

The episode began in the 75th minute when Marseille’s Dimitri Payet went to take a corner kick and reportedly was struck by a bottle thrown from the stands. He and teammate Álvaro González retaliated by throwing bottles back into the crowd.

A number of Nice fans then came onto the pitch in a chaotic scene. As the melee grew, a member of Marseille’s staff appeared to run toward the fans and shove one to the ground. Many more fans surged onto the field as players began to head to their respective locker rooms, leading to further scuffles.

After Nice players returned to the field and warmed up, officials placed the ball for Marseille to resume the match with the corner kick. Marseille stayed off the field, however, and the match was ended. Under league rules, that means Nice will probably be awarded a 3-0 victory.

“Our players were attacked,” Marseille President Pablo Longoria said, via the BBC. “We decided for the safety of our players, who were attacked during the pitch invasion, not to resume the match because the safety of our players was not guaranteed.”

Nice fans had been warned earlier in the match, per reports, about throwing items onto the field. A similar situation occurred during a Ligue 1 match earlier this month at Montpellier, when Marseille’s Florent Mollet was targeted with bottles from the stands. After both sides left the field then, Marseille agreed to return and finish the match.

“This is the second time it’s happened,” Longoria said Sunday. “We have already experienced this in Montpellier, where we decided to continue after the decision to carry on was made.

“What happened today is unacceptable. We must make it a precedent for French football and that’s why we decided to return to Marseille.”

The mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, weighed in by declaring that the officials made a “sad decision” in trying to bring teams back onto the field.

“Injured players, failing security: the [Marseille-Nice] match should never have resumed,” Payan tweeted. “Proud of my team who did not take part in this masquerade.”

Nice’s club president saw things differently.

“It’s disappointing that the game ended like this,” Jean-Pierre Rivère said. “Everyone saw what happened. We can’t deny that water bottles were thrown because we could all see it. What ignited the clashes was the reaction of two Marseille players who retaliated.

“Afterwards, it is deplorable that the Marseille security staff intervened on the ground and hit our players.”

France’s top soccer league began its season this month by allowing fan back into stadiums, after they were mostly barred last season because of the pandemic.

Ligue 1, which also tends to lag behind top-tier leagues in England, Italy, Germany and Spain in terms of interest and revenue, got a shot in the arm last week when superstar Lionel Messi left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain. Messi and PSG are set to visit Nice in March.

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Marseille-Nice match abandoned after fans storm the field - The Washington Post
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