Jean-François Pérès (in Auxerre)
If the Marseillais emerged victorious from this sixth day of Ligue 1, the day was marred by incidents before the match, near the Abbé-Deschamps stadium, in Auxerre. Scenes of violence, which could have been triggered by around fifty men, unknown to the two clubs.
Victory for Marseille for the sixth day of Ligue 1: 2-0 against Auxerre. A victory all the same tarnished by the pre-match incidents, scenes of urban guerrilla warfare between supporters, very close to the Abbé-Deschamps stadium. The damage is significant. It was around 2 p.m. Despite some provocations, the atmosphere was rather calm until then. Auxerre and Marseille are two clubs that have rather good relations. Fans and families were having lunch at the pool area, a brasserie near the banks of the Yonne, when suddenly everything went wrong.
Weak security feature
An outburst of unprecedented violence, screams, flying tables, kitchen utensils transformed into projectiles or weapons. The owner of the establishment quickly shelters his frightened customers inside. The terrace is devastated. It will take the intervention of the police several minutes later for calm to return. Several minor injuries, children in tears, parents in shock. So much for the facts.
As for responsibilities, that’s another matter. Admittedly, there were Marseilles and Auxerrois on the spot. But one wonders, especially on the police side, about the presence of about fifty aggressive men, of strong build, dressed in black, unknown in Auxerre as in Marseille. According to several sources, they are the ones who could have triggered these scenes of hooliganism. Another question mark: the thinness of the security device. Only 130 police officers against 400 announced during the week. This match was not rated at risk. Probably wrongly.