The Mediterranean derby between OGC Nice and Olympic Marseille (OM) was abandoned after the Nice ultras entered the pitch at the 73′ minute. An altercation ensued between the players and the fans which led to the referee calling off the game at that point.
Before the altercation started, OGC Nice was leading the game 1-0, with a goal from Kasper Dolberg in the 49th minute. The possession stats heavily favored OM with 64 percent and both the clubs had equal shots on goal.
How the Chaos happened?
The heated derby between the club was progressing well and Olympic Marseille won a corner in the 73rd minute. Marseille forward Dimitri Payet went towards the corner to take it when Nice fans started throwing objects on the field.
One such object (a bottle) hit Payet on the back of the head and he fell to the ground. This made the Marseille players angry and they went towards the said corner to express their anger at the Nice Ultras. Payet, who was certainly angry, expressed his anger by throwing back the said object into the crowd. This caused an uproar among the supporters and they stormed the pitch to confront the Marseille players.
The OGC Nice players and the security staff tried to stop their fans but it was not possible as hundreds of Nice supporters stormed the pitch, toppling an advertisement hoarding in the process to access the pitch.
It was reported that one of the supporters that stormed the pitch was injured after one of the Marseille coaching staff appeared to connect a punch on the said supporter.
LFP awards a 3-0 win to Nice
After everything that was ensured, the referee suspended the match so that the security staff could take control of the crowd. Both the sides were taken to their respective dressing rooms and after a wait of around an hour, the match was set to resume. The OGC Nice players came out to play but the Marseille players didn’t come back onto the pitch. After a few minutes of waiting, the referee called off the game.
The president of Olympic Marseille said to the RMC sports reporter that ” We decided not to resume the match for the safety of our players. The league decided as a matter of public order to resume the match but this isn’t acceptable to us. It’s why we decided not to resume”.
The League de Football Professionnels (LFP) decided to award OGC Nice with a 3-0 victory after the game was abandoned by Marseille.
Marseille to take action to reverse the result:
Marseille was said to be furious with LFP’s decision and has decided to take action by reporting to UEFA and the French Football Association.
Three Marseille players, namely Dimitri Payet, Luan Perez, and Matteo Guendouzi were injured in the melee that took place. On the Nice side, it is reported that Justin Kluivert and Jean-Claire Todibo were physically attacked by the Marseille staff in the altercation.
Marseille Manager Jorge Sampaolli was demonstrative and furious in the tunnel after everything had taken place. He even insisted that the OM players would not return given the situation. And the players didn’t return for the restart, as he said.
OGC Nice president has his say:
Jean-Pierre Rivère, the Nice President had his say after the game. He was disappointed after the game ended as it did and said ” It was quite clear that we had water bottles thrown, unfortunately. But it was the reaction of the Marseille players to throw the bottles back into the stands”. He also criticized the Marseille security staff for coming onto the pitch and hitting the OGC Nice players.
Marseille targeted for the second time this season:
Two weeks ago in the game against Montpellier, Marseille midfielder Valentin Rongier came away with a busted lip after the Montpellier crowd threw objects at the visiting team. The game was briefly halted after the incident. Marseille managed to win 3-2 on that night at the home of Montpellier.
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