The third round of the French football championship ended in a huge scandal.
The match between Nice and Marseille was interrupted a quarter of an hour before the end due to riots, which affected both fans and players.
The prosecutor's office and the French Professional Football League have launched an investigation into the incidents.
The game took place on Sunday at the Allianz Riviera stadium, which is Nice's home arena.
At the beginning of the second half, the hosts opened the scoring thanks to a goal from Kasper Dolberg, whom many fans remembered for the European Championship 2020. The guests tried unsuccessfully to recoup until the 75th minute, until they earned a corner at the enemy's goal.
The standard went to play Dimitri Payet, but the fans of "Nice" began to throw bottles and interfere with him. One of them hit the midfielder, causing him to fall to the ground. Rising to his feet, he tossed the bottle back to the podium, causing the ire of fans. They began to break through protective barriers and billboards in the field. For a few seconds, the stewards managed to hold back the crowd, but soon the fans broke through to the field.
A scuffle between fans and players was still avoided, but at the same time a brawl began near the substitutes' benches.
Players, coaches, officials and stewards continued to sort things out for several minutes, including by force.
Marseille coach Jorge Sampaoli tried to attack Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, but was held back by a few men.
Argentinean assistant Jorge Desio managed to hit the fan who ran out onto the field before that, which was recorded by the TV cameras.
The acute phase of the conflict ended when Marseille's players and coaching staff retired to the dressing room, while Nice President Jean-Pierre River went to the stands to calm the fans.
The judges had to officially interrupt the match indefinitely.
This is the second time in the new season, when the opponents' fans sort things out with the Marseille players, which escalate into fights.
In the opening round, the team visited Montpellier, and during this meeting, the fans also hit Valentin Rongier with a bottle, breaking his lip to blood.
Then the game was interrupted, but it still managed to continue.
“Marseille” eventually brought the match to victory.
This time the guests acted differently and refused to return from the dressing room.
Some of the players were injured in the riots - Pyet's blood was spilled, while Matteo Genduzi and Luan Perez had abrasions on their necks from blows.
The captain of “Nice” Dante himself went to the guest locker room and urged to continue the match, but did not achieve his goal.
It didn't help either, Rivera's promise that fans would be calm for the remaining 15 minutes.
Despite the refusal of the Marseilles, the referees nevertheless resumed the meeting from the moment at which it was interrupted, in the presence of the Nice players.
After no one approached the ball set at the corner flag, the match was finally completed, and since the guests did not come to it, they could face a technical defeat with a score of 0: 3.
Marseille president Pablo Longoria said that the referees themselves did not want to restart the game, but the French Professional Football League (LFP), which organizes the Ligue 1 matches, insisted on this. He criticized the decision to continue the game after all that happened.
“We must create a precedent for French football.
The match referee was on our side: he agreed that if the game continued, safety was not guaranteed.
He wanted to stop the match, but the LFP insisted on resuming it.
For us, this is unacceptable, "- quotes the words of Longoria GFFN with reference to RMC.
River categorically disagreed with his opinion.
He noted that the security staff of "Marseille" themselves attacked his players, and the whole conflict was provoked by the guests.
“The catalyst was the reaction of two Marseille players.
It's a shame it ended like this.
The situation is very clear.
Security officers of Marseille were not supposed to go out on the field and beat our players.
I do not understand why Marseille refused to continue the game, "- said the president of Nice.
But French Minister of Sports Roxanne Marasinyanu sided with the players.
She stated that she was glad that the players were able to defend themselves in a difficult situation and stated that such blatant behavior on the part of the fans was unacceptable.
As a result of the riots, the police detained three underage fans, but soon released them, handing them over to their parents.
The local prosecutor's office said that an investigation was launched, but so far no one else has been detained.
LFP also started its own business.
Representatives of both clubs will have to appear at the meeting of the disciplinary committee on 25 August.