Published on : 30/01/2021 – 18:34
Several hundred angry OM supporters carried out a coup on Saturday early afternoon at the Commanderie, the club’s training center, causing clashes which led to the arrest of 25 people, according to the police. Faced with events, the meeting of the French championship between Marseille and Rennes, initially scheduled for Saturday at 9 p.m., has been postponed indefinitely.
Another blow of anger. Several hundred OM supporters took a new action on Saturday, January 30 at the beginning of the afternoon at the club’s training center, the Commanderie, causing clashes which led to the arrest of 25 people according to the authorities. For several weeks, fans have been targeting the management of the Marseille club, as well as its president Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
As a result, the Professional Football League (LFP) announced, at three hours before the match, the indefinite postponement of the Marseille-Rennes match, originally scheduled for 9 p.m. The rescheduling date of the meeting has not been set by the League
In front of the entrance to the Commanderie, in a quiet area of Marseille, supporters expressed their anger by throwing smoke and firecrackers, and some even managed to briefly enter the enclosure, noted AFP journalists. . Three cypress trees growing in front of the central gate were charred in the incidents, during which at least two arrests took place.
“300 OM supporters violently attacked the police present to secure La Commanderie. Immediate dispatch of reinforcements to put an end to the degradation”, tweeted for its part the police headquarters of Bouches-du-Rhône, announcing 25 arrests . “@ prefpolice13 strongly condemns this unacceptable violence,” she added.
❌ 300 OM supporters violently attacked the police officers present to secure La Commanderie. Immediate dispatch of reinforcements to put an end to the damage
➡️ 25 arrests. @prefpolice13 strongly condemns this unacceptable violence.– Prefect of police of Bouches-du-Rhône (@ prefpolice13) January 30, 2021
Around 4 p.m., calm returned, AFP journalists noted.
A few hours after the end of the incidents, the Marseille club denounced an “unacceptable attack” and “an unjustifiable outbreak of violence” after the intrusion into its training center and announced several future complaints.
“Thefts were perpetrated and vehicles were damaged. Five trees were burned with the sole intention of destroying. The damage inside the buildings amounted to several hundred thousand euros,” wrote in a statement the Marseille club.
Many banners of opposition to the leadership of OM, and in particular to its president Jacques-Henri Eyraud, had already been deployed on Saturday in Marseille, a few hours from the Ligue 1 match against Rennes.
???? It gets hot at La #Commanderie ! Several groups sprayed the entrance to the training center with smoke and fireworks. They try to get inside the enclosure (Credit: Cédric Monné) #IF #TeamOM pic.twitter.com/jasL2Ef6ch
– La Provence (@laprovence) January 30, 2021
For several weeks, protest operations have been organized by OM supporters before the home matches. This Saturday, the deployment of banners was particularly massive with dozens of messages appearing all over the city and widely repeated on social networks.
“Follow AVB, break you all”, “The Parisians, break”, “Give us back OM”, “The Olympians hate you” or “Direction, c’est la fin”, could we read on these banners installed on motorway bridges, roundabouts or even on the Corniche which overlooks the Mediterranean.
Several of these messages are aimed directly at President Eyraud, who is very unpopular among OM supporters. The latter are particularly upset against him after an intervention in a conference on management during which he had mentioned the “danger” of having too many Marseillais or supporters of OM within the club.
“JHE: No Marseillais at OM? Get out of here”, could we read on a banner displayed above a fast lane, and “JHE, Marseille vomit te” on another installed roundabout du Prado, a few meters from the Vélodrome stadium.
OM are currently only sixth in Ligue 1 after three consecutive defeats in the league.
With AFP
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