Projectiles fly, there are tumults on the field: A break in Nice is the inglorious end of the game day in the French league. The manager of Olympique Marseille explains why his team is staying in the locker room.
After the French league game between OGC Nice and Olympique Marseille was canceled on Sunday evening, OM President Pablo Longoria justified the refusal to continue the game. This was preceded by riots in the 75th minute when the score was 1-0 for Nice. “We have decided not to continue the game for reasons of the safety of our players,” Longoria told RMC Sports. “What happened today is completely unacceptable.”
Sharp criticism from Olympique Marseilles club boss
Longoria criticized the French league, which had ordered a continuation of the game for reasons of public order. The club boss emphasized that this was not acceptable and cited this as the reason why the team had returned to Marseille. “The referee was on our side and his decision was to stop the game,” said Longoria. When the game was to be played to an end after an hour and a half interruption, the team of veteran coach Jorge Sampaoli did not return to the field.
Fifteen minutes before the end of the game, spectators stormed onto the pitch in the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, and there were arguments between fans and players from both clubs. Objects had been thrown from the stands onto the field on a regular basis since the start of the game.
Marseille star Payet throws bottles back in public
When in the 75th minute Marseille’s former international Dimitri Payet was hit in the back by a plastic bottle in front of a corner kick, he first sank to the ground. Then he threw several plastic bottles at Nice fans, other teammates joined him. As a result, Nice fans rushed onto the field to tackle the opposing players, which led to fierce arguments and nudges between players and club officials. After the storm, the game was interrupted.
50 minutes later, the local prefect gave permission to continue the game, reported the Nice Matin newspaper. While Nice was apparently ready to continue playing, the Marseille players did not want to return to the field. Some are said to have been injured in the scramble. Referee Benoît Bastien also did not want to whistle the game anymore, it said.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
