On January 17, Olympique de Marseille had a great evening in Angers with a big 5-2 success. However, the party was not memorable in the stands. Some Angevin supporters attacked OM fans.
Supporters of French clubs have been singled out for several years for their behavior in the stands. In a tense context, the authorities often prefer to prohibit the movement of these enthusiasts to other stadiums, especially in clashes or derbies. But, sometimes, it is at home that excess violence can occur. According to information from West Francethe last Angers-OM (January 17) was the scene of real “manhunts” in the stands of Raymond-Kopa.
OM supporters beaten up
The events allegedly took place in the Coubertin stand which hosts the Kop de la Butte ultras. Some Marseille supporters who live in the region took their seats there but they suffered violence from certain individuals as soon as they celebrated Marseille’s goals. Hooded Angevin supporters isolated certain Marseille fans to beat them up. Two witnesses cited by West Francea 48-year-old from Nantes and a sixty-year-old from Angers, described actions worthy of a militia.
« During the match, each time OM scored, Angers supporters, sometimes hooded, turned around and scanned the stand, looking for people celebrating. When they spotted one, they rushed at it and beat it up. », indicated the Nantes resident who complained, without success, to the stadium security agents. This behavior frightened and disgusted the two enthusiasts, who are considering never returning to the SCO.
The Kop de la Butte condemned its violence but clarified that its members are not responsible. The Maine-et-Loire prefecture did not note any violent incidents in its reports even if it acknowledges the treatment of injured people. She preferred to point out the behavior of Marseille supporters.
She recalled that “ the internal regulations of the SCO provide for the ban on supporters of the opposing team in the Coubertin stand ». « Many people, supporting OM, have deliberately chosen to ignore this ban “, she clarified. A response undoubtedly inaudible to the witnesses of the excesses of January 17.
