“Tomorrow, it's mandatory honey lemon.
I will no longer have a voice when I leave the stadium.
»In his taxi, Gérard, a subscriber to the North bend, can no longer keep still.
It's clasico day, always a special moment for this supporter who has been loyal to OM for more than 40 years.
“Paris is the historical enemy.
It's going to be a mess everywhere, with entertainment from all the groups.
Against Paris, we always put more, we come earlier, everything is bigger.
At the start of each season, we look at when the clasico is, ”says Guillaume, a 31-year-old supporter from Marseille.
“They have a better team than us,” he admits.
But for two years, we couldn't go to the stadium, so it's special.
We saw it against Saint-Etienne at the start of the season, there was an incredible atmosphere.
There, it will be even worse, the stadium will be full (67,000 spectators), it's on fire.
"
Guillaume is not mistaken.
From 5 p.m., nearly four hours before kick-off, the surroundings of the Stade Vélodrome were stormed by Marseille supporters, while those of PSG were not allowed to make the trip this Sunday.
The food trucks are a recipe like never before, you can smell the scent of merguez and fries and kebabs on every street corner.
The terraces are full, beer and pastis are flowing freely.
Finally, horns sound everywhere, recalling the atmosphere of legendary matches in the Marseille city.
"We want to create a good atmosphere, without overflows"
“We have been thinking about OM-Paris all week.
We were counting the days, and now we are there!
This is not an OM-Lyon or an OM-Nice there, it's a clasico.
This is the big match for the supporters.
Me, it's going to be my seventh, says Jordan, 23, accompanied by his younger brother Jonathan, 20, with whom he subscribes to the Winners.
It will be a party from start to finish, ”he announces when Hassan adds:“ We want to create a good atmosphere, without overflowing, as we could see in Nice or elsewhere a few weeks ago.
We also want to achieve something big in honor of Bernard Tapie the boss.
"
Marseille supporters challenge Parisians from a distance #OMPSG pic.twitter.com/D7YTFKwpkw
- The Parisian |
PSG (@le_Parisien_PSG) October 24, 2021
The surroundings of the Vélodrome stadium gave way to an incredible light and sound show when the stadium doors opened, nearly two hours before kick-off. Above a wave of blue and white swimsuits, fireworks, smoke and other pyrotechnic devices came to cover the Marseille sky. The start of hostilities, really, for these fans determined to make Lionel Messi's PSG live a nightmare for his first Clasico.
The Argentinian does not escape hostile chants, his name was also hissed copiously during the announcement of the Parisian team by the announcer.
“Messi, he was loved here in Marseille, but not anymore.
It's nice to have him in our championship, but we're going to scold him, it's a shame but he's a Parisian now, ”Jérémie, a big fan of OM, told us before heading to the square.
Read alsoOM-PSG: in love with Messi and Marseille, these supporters have chosen their camp
At 7.15pm, Konrad de la Fuente was the first Marseille player to point his nose on the pitch and, even replacing, the “Vel” gave him an ovation. Valentin Rongier who assists him can count on the same welcome. No doubt, it is not only eleven players who will be on the lawn, the 12th man is there. “I don't know if there will be a show on the pitch, but yes, in the stands,” Hassan continues. The decibels go up a notch again, when the Marseillais arrive for the warm-up. There are like entry tunes of gladiators to circus games.
"Who does not jump is not Marseille", "Paris, Paris, we enc *** you" ... All the classics of the repertoire of the perfect ultra phocean are there.
Time to catch your breath, and it's off again when Van Halen's iconic Jump sounds.
The hairs stand on end, the arms rise to form the tifos.
The smoke is back, setting the turn in a cloud of smoke.
The fog gives way to the show in the furnace of the Vélodrome, a cauldron in total boiling.
