Barely two months after the French Ligue 1 tie between Nice and Marseille was infamously and unceremoniously abandoned due to a pitch invasion and despicable behavior, European football on Thursday night was again disrupted by fan violence.
A hot-tempered Europa League encounter between Marseille and Galatasary in the southern French city was interrupted for about 10 minutes after rival fans at the Stade Velodrome threw firecrackers and smoke-bombs at each other.
As the situation escalated, the referee had no choice but to halt the match before police intervened to restore order. The game then resumed, ending in a goalless draw. But the trouble on and off the pitch was far from over.
Marseille defender William Saliba and Galatasaray striker Mbaye Diagne were caught jostling each other near the sidelines right after the game and the two players had to be separated by teammates before they received bookings. Even half an hour after the final whistle, some rival supporters were still trading blows. According to local media outlets, three police officers were injured during the violence.
A similar incident happened in Antwerp as the Belgian side’s Europa League match against German outfit Eintracht Frankfurt was also marred by fan violence.
A pyrotechnic projectile was thrown from the crowd and exploded near visiting goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who was forced to receive medical treatment.
Then, after Goncalo Paciencia netted a last-gasp winner for Frankfurt thanks to a penalty, angry home fans attempted to storm the pitch. German sports magazine Kicker revealed that local police had made several arrests.
In Thursday’s other key fixtures, Leicester’s winless start to their Europa League campaign continued with a limp 1-0 defeat at Legia Warsaw, while Italian giants Napoli also faced an uphill task to reach the knockout stages after being stunned by Spartak Moscow in a thrilling 3-2 loss.
In sharp contrast, West Ham made it two wins from two games with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Rapid Vienna. PSV Eindhoven also moved to the top of their group with a 4-1 win at Sturm Graz.
Elsewhere, England captain Harry Kane came off the bench to hit a hat-trick as Tottenham recorded their first Europa Conference League win with a 5-1 rout of NS Mura. Jose Mourinho’s Roma recorded a 3-0 victory over Zorya Luhask.
-Agencies
