Several thousand children were invited by OM to the Stade Vélodrome for Thursday's Europa League match against Villarreal. OM were sanctioned by UEFA with the total closure of the Virage Nord by revocation of a reprieve, after the lighting of several smoke bombs in the previous round against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The UEFA disciplinary regulations provide that children can be invited free of charge to matches behind closed doors. “Football is a celebration. So a suspended platform is an aberration. Having these children, these little ones, I say bravo for the initiative,” declared Marseille coach Jean-Louis Gasset.