Dimitri Payet is known for his fluctuating performance and changing moods. For a while, the Réunion-born Olympique Marseille striker played for the French national team. In Nice, at the derby of the rivals on the Côte d’Azur, he was hit by a water bottle while taking a corner. It happened in the 75th minute. Payet went down briefly, then threw the projectile back.
It was easy for the local fans in the Allianz Riviera Arena to break into the field. Only a few meters separate them from the actors, there can be no question of a cordon. As soon as Kasper Dolberg had taken the lead for OGC Nice, a few fans cheered with him on the field.
Serious consequences for the league
The verbal battles were followed by a solid brawl. Late that night, the Marseille PR department released photos of the abrasions that three players had sustained – nothing bad luckily. The injuries French football sustained that evening are serious. It is unlikely to be recovered from them for a long time. The day after, L’Équipe headed the leading article “The Shame”.
The ghost games should finally come to an end. The French national championship suffered particularly from the pandemic. It was the only one of the “Big Five” in Europe to be canceled. They feared relegation to the second division. The TV rights marketer went bankrupt. At a bargain price they were sold to Amazon – who transmitted the nasty incidents fairly unfiltered. The outbursts of anger of the uncontrolled Marseille coach Jorge Sampaoli and other tirades were clearly audible. The director also showed the images in which Sampaoli has to be restrained by force by his own people.
Fans storm into the square and participate in the tumult.
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Image: Reuters
At the start of the new season, Lionel Messi also came to Paris: God in France, so to speak. Cameras around the world were watching French football. With Messi and Amazon, he celebrated his resurrection during the epidemic and after the early break at the EM. The crisis-ridden Ligue 1 felt like the center of the world, and the championship began in high spirits – ahead of England, Spain, Germany and Italy.
The expectations of the audience were not disappointed, and those of Amazon were far exceeded. There were spectacular games. And the top game on Sunday evening in Nice was one of those. But already in the first round two weeks ago, the encounter between Montpellier and Marseille had to be interrupted. Payet scored two great goals to win Olympique 3-2. The referee had sent the players into the dressing room because bottles were thrown from the fan curve. The Montpellier security chief appealed to the audience. After a fifteen-minute break, it went on – and ended without any problems.
Even before the bottle was thrown, Payet had protested against the projectiles and only slowly executed corner kicks – which the fans interpreted as a provocation for him. The clashes in the stands of the non-paying spectators could not be seen on television. Marseille President Pablo Longoria is said to have fought with a person in charge of Nice and a former sports director of the city.
Reluctantly, the players went to the booths. Jean-Pierre Rivière, President of OGC Nice, went to the fans, whom he later issued a clean bill of health on television: It was incomprehensible that the “colleagues from Marseille” had refused to restart the game. They also did not allow themselves to be changed by Dante, the captain of Nice, who came to see them in their locker room.
Ten minutes before midnight, the ball was placed on the spot where Payet had been hit. The stadium was already half empty and the locals in the square, which was now protected by armed police. But because the opponent was missing, the referee did not whistle, but whistled. He preferred that too: he thought security was in jeopardy, and the league had prompted him to resume. She immediately announced that the game was scored 3-0 for Nice.
That won’t be the last word. The aftermath has begun. Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu says that a “red line” has been crossed and is demanding severe penalties. On Wednesday both clubs have to compete in front of the disciplinary committee because of the riots. There remains the faint hope that the lessons will be learned from the “shame of Nice”. Many are responsible. The violence against the players, however, came from the ultras.
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