PARIS (AFP) — Local authorities in Nice have opened an
investigation into the ugly incidents which led to the abandonment of Sunday's
Ligue 1 match between the home side and
Marseille, while politicians in France
called for punishments to be meted out to those responsible.
اضافة اعلان
The public prosecutor in the southern city confirmed it had
begun a probe but said no arrests had been made after Nice supporters invaded
the pitch and angrily confronted Marseille's Dimitri Payet, who had thrown a
bottle lobbed at him back into the crowd, before a brawl broke out involving
players and spectators.
The French league (LFP) released a short statement saying it
had summoned the two clubs to a hearing on Wednesday "following the
serious incidents".
The hosts were leading the Mediterranean derby 1-0 through a
Kasper Dolberg goal when the game was interrupted in the 75th minute at the
Allianz Riviera as Payet fell to the ground after being struck by a bottle
thrown from the crowd as he went across to take a corner.
The former France international threw a bottle back into the
crowd as team-mates came across to remonstrate with Nice fans packed in behind
the goal.
Some supporters then streamed onto the pitch and a melee
ensued involving players and staff from both teams, fans and stewards.
Marseille coach Jorge Sampaoli had to be restrained by members of his own
staff.
The match was halted for more than an hour and was finally
abandoned just before midnight local time after Marseille refused to return to
the field of play, with club president Pablo Longoria complaining that the
safety of his players "could not be guaranteed".
"The league wanted the match to restart. We decided for
the safety of our players, who were attacked during the pitch invasion, not to
resume because the safety of our players was not guaranteed," Longoria
said, adding the referee "was with us" and decided to stop the game.
It now remains to be seen what action will be taken by the
league, which must decide whether to replay the game or award Nice a victory on
the basis that Marseille forfeited the match by refusing to return to the
pitch.
"What really sparked things off unfortunately was the
reaction of two Marseille players who threw bottles back at the
supporters," claimed Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere.
There had already been a loud-speaker announcement earlier
in the game asking supporters to stop throwing bottles and there were also
reports of incidents in the VIP box involving the presidents of the two clubs.
One witness told AFP they had "grabbed each other by
the neck and needed to be separated by their bodyguards".
Blow for French football
The incidents are a huge blow for the image of Ligue 1, less
than two weeks after Lionel Messi moved to France to sign for Paris
Saint-Germain.
It is also a major blow for Nice, a club with big ambitions
under the ownership of Ineos, the group chaired by British billionaire Jim
Ratcliffe.
The match was attended by over 32,000 fans with spectators
allowed back inside stadiums in France after almost all of last season was
played out behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions.
Now, however, Nice run the risk of having to play several
games in an empty stadium again as a punishment, and politicians lined up to
call for action to be taken.
"It is of course regrettable given how long we have
gone watching matches without spectators in stadiums," said Roxana
Maracineanu, France's Minister Delegate in charge of sport.
She said those guilty of throwing objects and invading the
pitch should be punished "if we can find them ... I think there needs to
be punishments for the club in question."
Christian Estrosi, the center-right mayor of Nice who was at
the game, got involved too, tweeting: "Violence is always intolerable.
There must be punishments after (the league) has determined who was
responsible."
"The behavior of some of the supporters was unspeakable
but so was that of the Marseille president in the stands and the coach on the
field," he added.
Read more
Sports news
.jpg)
.jpg)
