Marseille handed stadium sanction

Marseille have been ordered to close two sections of their Stade Velodrome home for the Ligue 1 clash with Angers on Sunday.

The sanction imposed by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) comes following the crowd trouble which marred the recent game with Lyon, during which the players were forced from the field after missiles, including glass bottles, were thrown from the stands.

The closure of the north and south enclosures, where the club’s ‘ultra’ supporters congregate, will remain in place until October 15 when the LFP will meet again to decide whether further measures are required.

“In view of the extreme seriousness of the facts – I remind you that glass bottles were launched and the match was interrupted twice – the disciplinary committee has decided to completely close two corners of the Stade Velodrome with immediate effect,” said disciplinary commission president Sebastien Deneux.

“This is a precautionary measure pending the meeting on October 15, where final decisions will be taken.”

The Lyon game, which, having been disrupted with the visitors leading 1-0, ended in a 1-1 draw thanks to a Karim Rekik equaliser, was a highly charged encounter due largely to the return to Marseille of former midfielder Mathieu Valbuena.

Valbuena was booed throughout with Marseille’s Romain Alessandrini then red-carded for a heavy challenge on the France international.