The meeting between ASSE and OM, scheduled for this Sunday, December 8 at 8:45 p.m. at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, will be played without Marseille supporters. The Loire prefecture issued an order prohibiting their presence at the stadium and in the city center of Saint-Étienne, a measure which provoked reactions from Olympique de Marseille.
In his decree, the prefect of the Loire specified that this ban would apply from Sunday December 8 at noon until Monday December 9 at 6 a.m. It thus includes a ban on parking, driving on public roads, and access to the stadium and the city center for “any person claiming to be a Marseille supporter”. This decision follows security meetings preparatory to the meeting.
A decision that does not pass to OM
The newspaper La Provence informs us that OM wishes to react. For the Marseille club, this ban is part of a series of similar measures, experienced as injustices. After being deprived of trips to Lyon and Nantes this season, OM supporters had already seen their presence limited or prohibited in Montpellier. Faced with this new restriction, the Olympian management decided to react.
OM intends to bring this matter before the Lyon administrative court. According to La Provence, an appeal will be filed this Tuesday, December 3 in the hope of invalidating the prefectural decision. Pablo Longoria, president of the club, entrusted the management of this file to Fabrizio Ravanelli, responsible for relations with supporters.
Anticipate the Coupe de France
Beyond this match on the 14th day of Ligue 1, OM is already anticipating the next events, in particular a 32nd final of the Coupe de France also scheduled in Saint-Étienne. The club hopes that this meeting can take place in the presence of its supporters.
However, previous appeals filed, notably for the trip to Nantes, did not make it possible to reverse the trend. This time again, OM will have to convince the courts of the need to allow its supporters to travel, in a context where bans are increasing due to high security risks. To be continued.
