August 23, (THEWILL) – There were unsightly scenes at Sunday’s Ligue 1 match between Nice and Marseille, which progressed accordingly into the 76th minute before supporters invaded the pitch at Allianz Riviera forcing the match to be stopped.
After the disturbance had been brought back under control, referee Benoit Bastien attempted to restart the match from the point at which it was stopped. However, although the Nice players were all hand and ready to play, players and coaches of the visiting side did not return to the turf.
As a result, Nice were awarded a 3-0 victory, following the guidelines on abandoning matches operative in the Ligue 1.
The ensuing drama began after a supporter threw a bottle at Marseille star Dimitri Payet. The player threw the bottle back into the stands and things escalated at that instant with fans invading the pitch.
Before long, the news of injuries to Marseille players began surfacing on social media. Players like midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, on loan at Marseille from English Premier League side Arsenal, and defender Luan Peres, had what appeared to be strangle marks on their necks.
Before the melee, Nice led by 1-0. The deadlock-breaking goal came from Kasper Dolberg in the 49th minute. Marseille was pursuing an equaliser and their pressure on the Nice goal led to a corner kick that was about to be taken before the invasion of the pitch happened.
So far this campaign, Marseille opened their season with a 3-2 win over Montpellier before drawing 2-2 with Bordeaux. Nice drew 0-0 with Reims in the opening week before hammering Lille 4-0 in its second match, in a very sensational Matchday two outcome.
Based on the calendar for the year, both clubs are scheduled to meet again on March 20 at Stade Orange Velodrome in Marseille.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
