French Ligue 1’s first spectator break-in.
Something that should never have happened on the football field has happened.
Nice and Marseille faced each other in the third round of the French League in the 2021-22 season at Allianz Riviera in Nice, France on the 23rd. In the match, the worst situation occurred when Marseille and Nice fans collided and the game was suspended.
It was in the 29th minute of the second half that the normally played game suddenly turned into a disturbance. When Dimitri Faye was hit by a water bottle that flew from the Nice stands, he was unable to tuna his anger and threw the water bottle back into the stands. Faye’s actions infuriated the Nice crowd into the stadium over the fence. Safety guards and varnish players came forward to control the crowd, but it was not enough.
Angry spectators stormed into the stadium, causing chaos, and Marseille players who expressed their strong feelings became targets. According to local reports in France, Matteo Guingduzi and Luang Perez were threatened with thirst by some spectators, and their injuries were also revealed to the media. The players’ necks were full of wounds in the pictures taken in the locker room.
Marseille refused to resume the game after spectators stormed near the riot. In the tunnel of the stadium, Marseille was also seen shouting to the game supervisor, “We will not play.” However, French league officials and Nice played. In the end, the referee declared the end of the game when the Marseille players did not appear. Until further investigation results are released, Marseille will be disqualified from 0-3.
“We need to set a precedent for French football,” Marseille said. The referee was with us and confirmed that our safety was not guaranteed. The referee also tried to cancel the game, but the league decided to resume the game. We cannot accept this,” he said. Marseille will file a formal complaint with the league.
However, Chairman Nice’s position was completely different. “It was the reaction of Alvaro Gonzales and Gueningduzi who contacted the fans that caused the incident. I’m very disappointed that it ended this way. “I don’t understand why Marseille didn’t start the game again.