Marseilles (AFP)
In the aftermath of the serious incidents which took place at the Commanderie, the training center of the Olympique de Marseille, the owner Frank McCourt reaffirmed his support for President Jacques-Henri Eyraud, the main target of the anger of the supporters.
But the club will now have to find a little serenity to somehow end a completely chaotic season.
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What happened?
Sunday morning, the insulting graffiti had been erased and the entrance to La Commanderie, in the east of Marseille, cleaned.
Of the violence on Saturday, all that remained was the three charred cypress trees next to the gate and the exploded windows of the reception point, replaced by taped cardboard.
Inside the training center, other damage, on cars, windows or on the team bus, was estimated by the club at "several hundred thousand euros".
In a statement released Sunday morning, Frank McCourt, US owner of OM, estimated that the incidents of Saturday and "what happened a few weeks ago in Washington DC", with the invasion of the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump, responded to a "comparable logic".
The businessman also denounced "scandalous acts of violence" committed by "small groups of thugs".
In fact, the procession which gathered on Saturday at the beginning of the afternoon in front of the Commandery gathered between 300 and 400 people, linked to all the groups of OM supporters, but without any distinctive sign of belonging. .
After throwing firecrackers, fireworks and smoke, several dozen of them then crossed the perimeter walls, where the violence and degradation began.
Sunday morning, 18 people were still in custody among the 25 arrested on Saturday.
Seven police officers were slightly injured, and three law enforcement vehicles were damaged during these incidents which resulted in the postponement of the OM-Rennes match, initially scheduled for Saturday at 9:00 p.m.
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How did we get here ?
The exasperation of Marseille supporters, opposed to the club management and furious at the team's recent sad results, had been mounting for weeks.
Fans cannot attend matches at the Stade Vélodrome, but they can put up banners there to convey their messages.
"You shame us" or "You are disgusting", we could read recently in the turns of the stadium.
At the end of November, supporters had already climbed to the Commanderie before a match against Nantes.
They had blocked the bus for a few minutes for tense discussions with coach André Villas-Boas and a few players.
For the past month, each home game has been preceded by a rally of angry fans in front of the stadium and on Saturday dozens of protesting and sometimes insulting banners had been deployed all over the city.
These sometimes targeted the players but especially the management of the club and particularly the president Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
While Frank McCourt has not attended a match in Marseille for almost a year and a half, "JHE" concentrates most of the attacks from the supporters.
The president of OM has nevertheless taken a step back and has been less present in the media for several months.
But he remains a prisoner of the promises of the famous "Champions Project" and is judged "above ground" by many supporters who feel little concerned by the many societal initiatives of the club.
His popularity collapsed even more in December after he spoke of the "danger" of having too many Marseillais or OM supporters within the club.
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And now ?
Affected by the incidents on Saturday, the management united on Sunday.
"With the whole team and its president, OM will continue on their way", assured Frank McCourt.
Asked about TF1, Mr. Eyraud for his part admitted "clumsiness" and considered that the dialogue was "absolutely necessary".
But he also explained that his mission remained to "revitalize, modernize, build a long-term project".
In sporting terms, the consequences of Saturday's coup cannot remain trivial either.
Now 7th and taken from the top of the table, the Villas Boas team finds itself with two late matches to play in a busy schedule.
While the Portuguese technician announced on Friday that he would most likely not stay at the end of the season, sporting director Pablo Longoria must for his part find a midfielder who can replace Morgan Sanson by Monday midnight and the end of the transfer window.
In the context, that would be no small feat.
© 2021 AFP