Olympique de Marseille, which hoped to play in front of 20,000 spectators against Saint-Etienne on August 21 for the first day of Ligue 1, beyond the limits imposed due to the coronavirus, saw its request for exemption rejected, said the prefecture Saturday. "I consider that the gauge must remain at 5,000 people", indicated the prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, Pierre Dartout, during a press conference, adding to have informed the president of the club Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
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The Covid-19 epidemic is experiencing a resumption in France, especially in the Bouches-du-Rhône department classified in red for the circulation of the virus for a few days. Faced with this situation, the government announced on Tuesday the extension until the end of October of a maximum level of 5,000 people for large gatherings. But OM, which plays in a Velodrome stadium that can accommodate 67,000 spectators, hoped to be able to derogate from the rule despite everything, by applying distancing measures in the stands.
Derogation request also refused for Bordeaux
The Girondins de Bordeaux, who also hoped for a prefectural exemption to increase to 10,000 spectators for the resumption of L1 against Nantes, also saw their request rejected by the Gironde prefecture, they announced in a statement on Saturday.
An identical decision was taken on Friday by the Loire-Atlantique prefecture concerning the Nantes-Nîmes match, scheduled for the second day on August 30 and which will also be limited to 5,000 spectators. For its part, OGC Nice had indicated on Wednesday that it would receive Lens behind closed doors on August 23.
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- The LFP hopes for exemptions from the 5,000 spectator gauge, maintained until October