Planet soccer: Nice banned in Marseille

UPDATE ; DAY

European football fans have a reputation for being hot-blooded and this is even truer when it comes to a game between two teams that are geographically close.

We are therefore not surprised to learn that OGC Nice fans will be banned from the Vélodrome de Marseille for the match against Olympique on Sunday evening.

C' is a prefectural decree which prohibits the presence of Nice supporters in the Marseille region this weekend.

“No Gym supporter will be able to make the short trip to Provence to push the Aiglons,” the Nice club revealed earlier this week. A prefectural decree stipulates that “from Sunday February 5, 2023 at 8 a.m. to Monday February 6, 2023 at 4 a.m., it is forbidden for anyone claiming to be a supporter of the Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice or behaving as such, to access the Orange Velodrome stadium and to drive or park on public roads in the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th and 8th arrondissements of the municipality of Marseille. »

Riposte

You have to see the context to better understand why the political class of Marseille is acting this way.

The two cities are located 200 kilometers apart on the other, it is therefore a short trip, which encourages a large number of fans to do so since they can return home after the game is over.

A good rivalry opposes the two teams even if Marseille (3rd) is well ahead of Nice (10th) in the Ligue 1 standings.

In fact, we understand that it is a response since the Marseille supporters had not been welcomed in Nice during the first leg last August.

Precedents

We understand the authorities to be on their guard since there have already been clashes between supporters of the two teams in the past.

We have no elsewhere you don't have to go far back in time to find it. 

In August 2021, a match between the two teams ended in uproar in Nice. With fifteen minutes left to play, OM midfielder Dimitri Payet was hit in the back by a bottle thrown from a group of Nice supporters.

In response, Payet threw the bottle into the crowd and Nice supporters invaded the field.

The referee quickly decided to suspend the match and send the two teams back to the locker room as the 'OGC led 1 to 0. OM never returned to the field.

Injuries

According to photos of the incident that circulated later, three Marseille players suffered injuries at the hands of Nice supporters.

Besides Payet, who had scratches on his back, his teammates Matteo Guendouzi and Luan Peres had strangulation marks on their necks.

As Olympique de Marseille never returned on the pitch, he was handed a 3-0 loss by default. 

But that was without counting on the Ligue 1 Disciplinary Committee.

Nice was thus deducted two classification points. The Côte d'Azur team was also forced to play three games behind closed doors and the match against Marseille was resumed at a neutral venue.

The little brother

When we analyze this rivalry, we realize that it is more present on one side than on the other.

Indeed, Nice seems to suffer from the complex of the little brother and live this derby more intensely.

Alexy Bosetti, who wore the colors of Nice from 2012 to 2017 confirmed this to RMC Sports in 2014. hate OM more than they hate us. »

For the Marseillais, the rivalries are much more intense with the other Olympique (Lyon) and especially with Paris Saint-Germain.

Moreover, observers hear to say that the national derby in France is that between OM and PSG. 

A COUP DU CHAZARD

PSV Eindhoven lost big chunks in the last transfer window with Cody Gakpo leaving for Englandand Noni Madueke. The Dutch club who currently sit third in the Eredivisie were looking to fill a void in attack. It is finally Eden Hazard's brother, Thorgan, who will come to lend a hand under a loan from Borussia Dortmund where he had played little this season, only participating in 14 games. However, there is no option attached to the agreement.

MENDY ABSENT SEVERAL WEEKS

The bad luck seems to be on the French left backs. At the World Cup, it was Lucas Hernandez who screwed up his left anterior cruciate ligament in the first match against Australia. In the last few days, it was Real Madrid's Ferland Mendy who injured his left leg in the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Atlético Madrid. The muscle injury could cause him to miss up to two months of activities. We already know that he will be out of action for the Club World Cup which will take place in Morocco from February 7 to 11.

EVERTON HAS FROZEN

Since its creation in 1887, Everton have only spent four seasons in the English second division. The last ? In 1953-54. Since then, the Liverpool-area club have generally maintained a place in the Premier League Top 10. This season, things are not going as expected and Everton are threatened with relegation with a 19th position and 15 points, tied with Southampton who are dead last. Worse still, other than losing Anthony Gordon to Newcastle during the January transfer window, Everton have been unable to improve. According to Sky Sports, the club would have been told no by Hakim Ziyech, Conor Gallagher, Olivier Giroud, Michy Btashuayi and Beto, to name a few. It smells like the end of the season where we hang on as best we can.  

PSG IS ON GRIP

Neymar has already received 10 yellow cards this season with PSG.

Paris Saint-Germain sit atop the Ligue 1 standings, but for some reason the players are on edge. Since the resumption of activities, PSG have suffered two expulsions in five games and seem more tense than usual. Neymar, who does not mind the physical game, even received his tenth yellow card of the season last week in a quarter-final match of the Coupe de France against the Pays de Cassel, a team which plays in Regional 1, the sixth level French football. Marco Verratti is upping the ante with three games since December 28 in which he has either received a yellow or a red card. And to that, we add the thigh injury that will keep Kylian Mbappé out of the field for at least three weeks.

Matches to watch

PREMIER LEAGUE

• Everton vs Arsenal
• Today

< /ul>

Everton are trying to avoid relegation and will have to fight every game between now and the end of the season. This visit to the Gunners is a good test for the Liverpool club.

BUNDESLIGA

• Mainz 05 vs Union Berlin
• Today

The Berliners are only one point behind Bayern Munich. This game at home against a mid-ranked team is a good opportunity to put pressure on the Bavarians who will be traveling to Wolfsburg on Sunday.

LIGUE 1

• Lens vs Brest
• Tomorrow

Lens is on an eleven game unbeaten streak and will look to continue it against a team trying to pull away from relegation.

SERIES A

• Lazio vs< /em> Hellas Verona
• Monday

Verona, which sits 18th in Serie A, is still in Spezia's five-point relegation zone and salvation. This duel against the third in the standings is a challenge to test the strength of character and the quality of this team.