Lille have announced that their fans will not be permitted to travel to Marseille for their upcoming match due to safety concerns.
what happened?
This decision comes in the wake of an attack on Lyon’s team bus, which led to the postponement of Marseille’s home game against Lyon.
Following last Sunday’s match between Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais being postponed due to hooliganism, Lille have raised the alarm of apprehensions of further crowd trouble.
Marseille are scheduled to host Lille on Saturday evening, November 4, by 9 p.m. at Stade Velodrome, but the violent incident that occurred during the previous game has raised concerns about the potential for more soccer violence.
Lyon’s team bus was attacked with stones, resulting in coach Fabio Grosso getting injured on Sunday, October 29.
The front page of sports paper L’Equipe featured photos of Grosso with blood on his face, alongside the headline: ‘Disgusting and Shameful’.
Grosso said: “I wish my face hadn’t gone around the world, I wish no face did. It must never happen.”
The 45-year-old Italian coach admitted to feeling physically weak initially but described himself as a ‘volcano’ internally.
The Lyon boss believes that removing fans from the stadium won’t solve the issue, but enhancing safety measures will be a significant step forward.
He added: “We passed a place where there were a lot of stones on the side of the road because of road works and that’s not normal. Removing fans from the stadium won’t solve the problem. It’s by improving safety.”
Lille’s official statement
Meanwhile, Lille released a statement on Friday, November 3, acknowledging that due to concerns regarding the safety of their supporters, they have decided not to allow the 250 planned Lille supporters to travel to Marseille.
Lille, in an official statement, said: “If the authorities finally decided this morning that they would not be able to guarantee the safety of the 250 Lille supporters who had planned to travel to Marseille, Lille must take note of the decision to protect its supporters from any potential trouble.”
On Sunday, October 29, France sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, announced that seven people had been apprehended in connection with the incident involving six coaches and Lyon targeted before the game between 10th-placed Marseille and bottom-of-the-table Lyon was postponed.
Expressing their disapproval, Marseille stated that the incidents were unacceptable, while Lyon warned of the potential for an even more severe tragedy if immediate action is not taken.
The French League (LFP) confirmed on Thursday that the Ligue 1 encounter between Marseille and Lyon has been rescheduled for December 6th; however, the venue for the match has not been specified.
What’s next?
The match between Lille and Marseille in the Ligue 1 campaign is set to take place at Stade Vélodrome on Saturday, November 4th, with the game starting at 9 p.m.
