Marseille vs Galatasaray: Europa League Clash Briefly Stopped After Fans Hurl Flares at Each Other

• Fans threw flares at each other during the Marseille vs Galatasaray game
• The match had to be briefly halted as riot police intervened to restore calm
• The game eventually ended in a 0-0 stalemate
• This was the third incident of crowd trouble involving Marseille

The Europa League clash involving Marseille and Galatasaray had to be briefly halted due to a bizarre case of fan violence.

Flares were tossed around during the clash as fans confronted each other, leading to the game being stopped for at least eight minutes.

Marseille has been infamous for its fan’s involvements in violent incidents this season but on Thursday, September 30, they took it to a new level.

Things initially looked positive before the match as both sets of fans came together singinhg anti-PSG songs outside of the Stade Velodrome.

But once the Orange Velodrome clash kicked off, there was clear tension between the two sides, and it spilt over to the fans.

The incident that sparked off everything was a confrontation involving on-loan defender William Saliba and forward Mbaye Diagne as the pair came face-to-face.

Soon afterwards, flares were tossed between the two sets of fans, leaving a section of the stadium in a worrying cloud of red dust.

Referee Pawel Raczkowski inevitably called a halt to the game as stewards struggled to contain the two sets of supporters.

Things threatened to spill over and riot police were called to the scene to restore sanity.

The game was clearly overshadowed by the fan incidents and once it went on, both sides failed to score and it ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Marseille and crowd trouble

It is kind to note that this is not the first time Marseille is being involved in crowd trouble.

During a heated clash against Nice in the Ligue 1, fans invaded the pitch to confront forward Dimitri Payet after an incident.

There was also confrontation involved during a clash against Lens and Lille.

Nasri retires from football

Elsewhere, former Marseille player Samir Nasri has called it quits on a successful football career.

At 34, he has now resolved he will not be making a comeback, revealing to Le Journal du Dimanche the ban had played a huge role in his decision to retire.

Nasri shot to prominence as a promising talent at Marseille, before moving to the Premier League with Arsenal.

He would later join Man City, where he would win two Premier League titles and a League Cup.