Brawl between Marseille and Feyenoord fans

Twenty people were arrested yesterday at Marseilles during incidents between fans of the French team and of Feyenoordbefore the second leg of the semifinals of Conference League, according to the Prefecture of Police. Most of those arrested were Marseille fans, the same source said.

By nightfall on Wednesday, Dutch people had gathered on terraces near the Old Port, under the surveillance of Dutch and French police, an AFP photographer said.

Projectiles were first fired in his direction, according to the Bouches-du-Rhône police headquarters, then Marseille supporters arrived and groups from both sides began to provoke each other. . “There were no major overflows,” the police headquarters insisted on Thursday morning, predicting a “power increase” of the security device for the day around the meeting.

In all, about a thousand police members are present in the city between the ‘fan-zones’ dedicated to Feyenoord fans, the city center and the stadium, he detailed.

The meeting was classified as ‘level 5’ in terms of security by the authorities, the highest level, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The ‘fan-zone’ opened this Thursday at 10:00 am to prevent overflow. “This venue will allow fans to be transported to the Vélodrome stadium under police escort,” the police headquarters said in a statement.

Inside the stadium, all Feyenoord fans will gather in the visitors area and a security zone with no spectators will be established between the guests and the Jean-Bouin stand.

The north curve will be closed to the public, the prefecture recalled, referring to the sanctions imposed on UEFA’s Marseille club after incidents that took place in the quarterfinals between OM and Greek PAOK Thessaloniki.

Approximately 3,200 Dutch fans are expected at the Stade Vélodrome on Thursday night, and between 1,000 and 1,500 more in the city, without tickets.