Monday 23 August 2021
Bottle throwing, burst storm
Football game escalates in France
First spectators throw objects onto the lawn, then players throw back plastic bottles. As a result, the situation in the game of Nice against Marseille gets completely out of control.
In France, the first division duel between OGC Nice and Olympique Marseille was first interrupted after tumult and then canceled. Fifteen minutes before the end of the game, spectators stormed onto the pitch in the stadium in Nice. There were clashes between fans and players from both clubs.
Objects had been thrown from the stands onto the pitch on a regular basis since the start of the game. When in the 75th minute Marseille player Dimitri Payet was hit in the back by a projectile before a corner shot, he first sank to the ground. Then he threw several plastic bottles at Nice fans, other teammates joined him,
As a result, Nice fans pushed onto the field to tackle the opposing players, which led to violent arguments and nudges between players and club officials. After the storm, the game was interrupted when the score was 1-0 for Nice.
50 minutes after the interruption, the local prefect gave permission to continue the game, reported the newspaper “Nice Matin”. While Nice was apparently ready to continue playing, the Marseille players did not want to return to the field, it was said. Some were injured in the scramble. The referee then ended the game.
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