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After the storm there were violent arguments
Photo:
Norbert Scanella / imago images / PanoramiC
After the canceled Mediterranean derby between OGC Nice and Olympique Marseille, the next duel between the French first division football team Nice against Girondins Bordeaux will take place in camera.
The French league association LFP announced on Wednesday evening.
The game will kick off on Saturday (5 p.m.), the decision to exclude fans is a precautionary measure. The investigation into the incident in Nice last Sunday should be completed by September 8, the league association said.
On Sunday evening, supporters of Nice had repeatedly thrown objects onto the field. About a quarter of an hour before the end with the score of 1-0 for Nice, Marseille playmaker Dimitri Payet was hit in the back by a plastic bottle in front of a corner kick and went to the ground. Shortly afterwards, he threw several plastic bottles back towards the stands, and teammates joined them. As a result, dozens of Nice supporters stormed onto the field, which led to violent arguments between players and club officials. When the game was about to resume after a hiatus of about an hour, the Marseille players refused to go back onto the pitch. The game was canceled.
The Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes Region, Bernard Gonzalez, had previously announced measures to prevent future riots.
The south stand in the Nice stadium, where the tumult started on Sunday evening, will be closed for the next four home games.
The grandstand is to be equipped with a net to ward off projectiles as soon as possible, and better protection of the guest grandstand is also being investigated.
In addition, stadium bans are to be issued against those involved in the riots as soon as the police have identified them.
Nice trailer preloaded
A Nice supporter who is said to have kicked Marseille star Payet has already been summoned to court, the public prosecutor told the French news agency AFP.
The public prosecutor speaks of "unlawful entry into the field" and of "deliberate violence" by the trailer, who is known to the police.
sak / dpa / sid
