A potential clash between supporters of Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille was narrowly avoided on Saturday morning after police intervened at Marseille’s Saint-Charles station.
One week on from Le Classique, which saw Paris Saint-Germain dismantle Olympique de Marseille 5-0 at the Parc des Princes, tensions between the two rival fanbases remain high. With no OM supporters present in Paris last weekend, certain ultra groups had reportedly planned to settle matters away from the stadium this Saturday.
According to local outlet La Provence, around fifteen Parisian supporters travelled south by train early on Saturday morning with the intention of reaching Nîmes. There, a pre-arranged “fight” between PSG and OM ultras was allegedly set to take place on the sidelines of a National 2 fixture between Nîmes and Toulon.
However, events nearly escalated earlier than expected. At approximately 09:00, as the Parisian group passed through Marseille’s Saint-Charles station to change trains, around thirty Marseille supporters gathered at the station, seemingly intent on initiating a first confrontation.
Police officers on site intervened swiftly to prevent the two groups from clashing. Tear gas was reportedly used to disperse the crowd before violence could break out.
While La Provence initially reported five arrests among Marseille supporters, the Bouches-du-Rhône police prefecture later confirmed that three individuals were detained. The travelling PSG supporters were instructed to return to Paris.
GFFN | George Boxall
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