Unrealistic. The show was supposed to be so much more beautiful, even grandiose, this Sunday, when the junior, women’s and senior finals were played at the Orange Vélodrome.
For the organizers, hosting this now iconic event within the very grounds of the temple of Marseille football was a dream. If it became reality for a day without any excesses taking place, it will have turned into a nightmare this Sunday evening, when the city center faced La Viste in the senior finals.
La Viste opened the scoring first then ended up completely dominating the proceedings in the first period. Firecrackers and smoke bombs burst on their side, while the city center, having arrived in a procession having ignited the stadium as if it were full to bursting, quickly lost its splendor and found itself trailing 3-0 at the break. The nugget Enzo Sauvage limits the damage by allowing his team to return to 3-1 after returning from the locker room thanks to a penalty.
But on the pitch, as in the locker room, tension is at its height and aggression is increasing. The fervor even went beyond the stakes, generating a few scuffles between the players which very much found an echo in the stands. After the red card of one of their players, the supporters of the city center tried to invade the pitch but were quickly brought under control, notably thanks to the intervention of the biggest players, starting with Massimo, an essential and paternal figure of the center. city, who was an assistant coach last year.
La Viste continued and after their 5th goal, the supporters from the city centre became completely uncontrollable, invaded the pitch once again, but this time nothing could calm them down. For the organisers, it was a shock. Four years of work for this. The doors to the changing rooms were blocked to prevent any intrusion, then the CRS entered the pitch just as the players were leaving, even though the match was not over.
“On behalf of the Hcup, we sincerely apologize for the show, it was not the values that we wish to spread, the party could have been so much more beautiful, it should have been a consecration, artists should have performed, it should have been a party”, declared the organizers into the microphone in disgust. Sad celebration.
Léa Cornu
