Marseille Match Abandoned After Nice Fans Storm Pitch For Brawl
The referee blew for the final whistle in the 75th minute with only the Nice player’s insight following a brief suspension to proceedings.
And according to Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) rules, Marseille has been handed an automatic 3-0 defeat pending further review.
Members of the crowd had pelted Marseille players with objects in the lead-up to the chaotic fight.
And fans charged the playing surface when forward Dimitri Payet’s responded to them after being struck near the corner flag.
What happened?
Supporters at the Allianz Riviera had been throwing objects at Marseille players throughout the match, and Payet threw a bottle back into the crowd in the 74th minute after being struck as he prepared to take a corner kick.
Soon after, fans invaded the pitch, dropping a billboard to access the field in order to battle with the Marseille players.
A coach embroiled in the chaos appeared to connect on a punch thrown at a supporter.
In the rush, one person appeared to be injured before being evacuated on a stretcher when calm returned.
The incident that caused the suspension of the Nice vs Marseille game. #OM #Ligue1UberEats pic.twitter.com/K1vUwOoCbC Matthew Bauer (@mattbauer__5) August 22, 2021 Here’s what happened to #Payet .
Can understand why the Marseille players are upset… pic.twitter.com/6xz35uOcSN. A fan tries to kick Dimitri Payet after a pitch invasion halted Nice vs Marseille! 😳 pic.twitter.com/J0iOi4JImf
Goal (@goal) August 22, 2021, Nice led 1-0 at the time of the incident.
Forced finish
“We will not play! We will not play!” said Marseille president Pablo Longoria to officials in the tunnel (via Amazon) when the match was first suspended.
However, LFP officials and Nice tried to proceed anyway. So Nice v Marseille restarted… only the OM players didn’t come out. Nice kicked the ball towards the corner flag and the referee blew for full-time.
LFP now have a major administrative headache to sort. Echoes of Estonia v Scotland from 1996.
Robin Bairner (@RBairner) August 22, 2021 Nice’s players line up to defend a corner… against non-existent opposition. The enduring image of a sad derby match. pic.twitter.com/d5BvVqadTT
“We need to set precedents for French football,” Longoria said to RMC once the match was abandoned. “The referee was with us, he confirmed that to us, that safety was not assured.
“His decision was to abandon the match, but the LFP decided to restart the match. It is not acceptable for us.”
Marseille targetted again
Two weeks ago Marseille’s match against Montpellier was briefly halted because of the crowd throwing objects at visiting players.
Marseille midfielder Valentin Rongier came away with a busted lip from that match.
What a tragedy, Nice president Rivere blames Marseille players for the ugly fight
Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere has accused Marseille players of instigating the ugly fight that involved fans on Sunday and ultimately led to an early final whistle, even though home supporters had thrown objects at their opponents throughout the evening.
Rivere said Marseille players responded too forcefully after team-mate Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle near the corner flag. He also claimed members of Marseille’s travelling party “hit our players”.
The game was called off when Marseille refused to come out of the dressing room at the Allianz Riviera over concern for their safety.
What has been said?
“What catalysed things was the reaction of two Marseille players (Alvaro Gonzalez and Matteo Guendouzi) who met the fans,” said Rivere to RMC.
“It is disappointing that it ends like this. Things are quite clear. … Marseille’s security should not have come onto the pitch and hit our players.
“I don’t really understand why Marseille didn’t restart.”
Injuries sustained by Marseille players
Matteo Guendouzi and Luan Peres were among the players with visible marks on their necks left by Nice fans.
Payet, meanwhile, was pictured with a mark on his back, presumably from being hit by the bottle.
What was the result of the match?
Nice will be awarded a 3-0 win, according to Ligue 1 rules.
However, Marseille is sure to protest that decision in the coming week.
