As expected, it is now official. Olympique de Marseille supporters will not be able to travel to Lyon next week for the clash of the 5th day of Ligue 1. The Rhône prefecture issued a first order for this match on September 9. It will be supplemented a few hours before the Ligue 1 match by a travel ban order published in the official journal by the Ministry of the Interior.
“Driving and parking on public roads are prohibited on Sunday, September 22, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. to midnight for any person claiming to be a supporter of Olympique de Marseille, or behaving as such, that is to say wearing a scarf, badge, clothing, or flag in the colors of this club, in the downtown area of Lyon,” the prefectural decree emphasizes.
A very high risk meeting
The match is rated 4 out of 5 by the DNLH (National Division for the Fight against Hooliganism) services, i.e. very high risk. This is not the first time that the Olympico has been held without a visitors’ enclosure.
It all goes back to a little less than a year ago, on October 29, when the clash almost turned into a tragedy with the Lyonnais bus being stoned, and also those of their supporters. Fabio Grosso, then coach of the Gones, and Raffaele Longo were seriously injured, and the match scheduled at the Vélodrome had to be cancelled. Postponed in early December, the match was held without OL fans. The same thing happened during the return match in Lyon two months later, the Marseillais having been banned from travelling in turn.
- RMC Sport
