The meeting, under close surveillance a week after violence during the Europa League Conference match between Nice and Cologne at the Allianz Riviera, was marked by exchanges of fire from smoke bombs, "trouble" on the Marseille side and "degradation" and Nazi salutes from the Frankfurt side, in the words of UEFA.

At the end of this meeting, disputed on September 13 and which ended in the defeat of OM (1-0), 17 people had been arrested and a Frankfurt supporter hospitalized at La Timone.

The indictment of a 26-year-old man, residing in Marseille, was announced on Friday.

He admitted "being the author of the projectile shot in the direction of the visitor parking lot", during this match counting for the 2nd day of the Champions League, said the press release from the Marseille prosecutor's office.

Indicted for attempted murder, intentional violence, participation in a criminal association and detention and use of rockets or fireworks in a sports arena, this supporter was however released by the judge of freedom and detention .

The prosecution appealed this decision.

OM did not wish to react to this indictment.

The victim, a 65-year-old man, had been hit in the neck and his damage assessed at 120 days of ITT.

His companion, 64, had been burned in one hand while trying to spread the smoke.

- North turn -

"It was a near-death experience", explained to a German radio, HR3, Michael Brehl, the injured supporter, quoted Friday by La Provence.

"Surgeons talk about my injury as if it were a gunshot wound. I still can't grasp objects with my left hand," said the man, who had three ribs and a cervical vertebra shattered .

"We can't go on like this, at some point someone will die," insisted Mr. Brehl, in this interview taken up by La Provence: "it was a kind of civil war. I was in the wrong place in the wrong moment".

During the match, the first smoke bombs were launched from the parking lot where more than 3,000 German supporters were installed, towards the North bend, where several groups of OM fans are gathered.

The Marseillais had responded by also launching a few smoke bombs and fireworks.

The CRS installed along the visitor parking lot did not intervene.

According to the press release from the Marseille prosecutor's office, the German supporter had been hit by a distress rocket launched from "the bottom of the North bend".

Several groups of Marseille supporters -- Dodger's, Fanatics and MTP -- are installed at the top of this bend.

Since the dissolution of the Yankees, the bottom is normally occupied by a less active group, the Club des Amis de l'OM.

But the area from which the shooting started is not reserved for a particular group and the supporters circulate there quite freely.

After these incidents, the Marseille club was sanctioned with a match behind closed doors for its next C1 match, against Sporting Lisbon.

For the 6th and last day of the Champions League, during the match against the English of Tottenham, undoubtedly decisive for the qualification, on November 1, only this North bend will be closed and therefore empty of supporters.

In the meantime, OM and Eintracht Frankfurt will meet on Wednesday, for the 5th day (group D), in Germany.

The movement of Marseille supporters has been authorized.

© 2022 AFP