It had been 14 years ago, Olympique de Marseille had beaten PSG in Ligue 1 with Velodrome. Fourteen years long waiting where fans of Marseille have seen their competitors win 10 Championships (13 Total compared to Nine’s Nine) and Champions League (Corresponding victory Marseille in 1993). Change in the balance of power as sudden as it was overwhelming, along with, of course, with the acquisition of the Paris club from Sheikh Nasser in 2011.
Walking the streets of Marseille becomes aware of how difficult it must have been to take over Paris’s control in recent years. Om, in Marseille, is everywhere: in the murals that color every wall in the city; in shirts that Marseillais have proudly worn on the street; In the Bars, restaurants, grocery stores or stores, where there is never a lack of the team. It is a real identification, the one that exists between the city and the football team. That’s one of the reasons why Roberto de Zerbi, after his experience in the Premier League, has chosen to settle on Cote d’Azur: Marseille is a city that lives and breathes football every day, every week, all year round. Paris, on the other hand, the city enemies, as can be seen in many shirts that fans have carried with the imprint “Anti-PG” instead of each player’s name, represents a way to live football on Antipodes. The French capital lives on fashion and art, and the Parc des Princes’ event seems to be just one of the many pastime that can be protected. Paris, culturally, cannot be considered a football city
The Tension over the suspension of the game only served for shopping when high voltage. The match, scheduled Sunday 21, was postponed due to downturn that hit Marseille From noon and forward. The postponement aroused disputes from both sides: Marseille demanded from the beginning to play on Mondayto appeal to the regulation where the first date available must be used to restore the game; PSG, for its part, pressed the suspension to Tuesday or by the end of DecemberTo avoid a collision with Ballon d’Or ceremonythat would see some of the protagonists of the team award (and perhaps to recover Doue, Dembele, Neves and Barcola, who were injured). At the end, Om came their way: They will play on Monday at 20:00.
Social collision
At 5 pm, The atmosphere outside Velodrome is already fiery. Some Paris fans comment on social media that there is yet another show that fans of Marseille are all unemployed: Skirmish of “classique”. It should be borne in mind that as is often the case, also between Marseille and Paris competition goes against football to get into a Social-political dimension. As so often happens, The clashes are between cultural and economic capital (Paris) and south of the countryMore passionate and hedonistic in their way of life, but also more complex at social level. The songs are almost all dedicated to their architects: OM has not worked at home for 14 yearsBut their fans never stop demanding that they belong to the “right” side of the French football history. At about 6:30 pm everyone goes towards the arrival of buses: First comes Marseille, greeted with applause and bowl. But it’s just about it. What really matters is to unleash all the hatred that accumulate in these 14 long years when PSG arrivesWho enter the Velodrome without their personal bus for security reasons: crossing the city would be dangerous. In 2015, PSG bus entered Velodrome was stoned by fans of omwho broke the front windows on the car. No one was injured, but from that day PSG has traveled around the hill. This is “Le Classique”.
Inside Velodrome, wonderful for influential nature as well as the elegance of wavy structure, almost like butterflies in the stands of the stand, cut its processes: ViGage Nord and Virage SUD coordinates with jealous accuracy: Each career has its own extreme groups and leader. Furthermore, when the most famous om song begins: “Aux Armes” (“To Arms”). One end sings it, and the other, from the opposite side, replies. When the players go to the stadium, two dancers are shown, one for each end, while the rock of the field becomes deaf. Vige SUD shows a giant image with the OM mark and the inscription “Olympique Marseille since 1899”. Virage Nord, on the other hand, shows a coat of arms in the city of Marseille; The flags that the fans consist of the number “2600” (year since the foundation of the city) that ends the tape showed: “2,600 years as Marseille the city shines for heroism.” Unlike most European stadiums, almost every single stadium is followed by the entire stadium, including the girl, without exception. Om, despite the abusive sewerage of De Zerbi, play suffering and containment, but to return to victory that was not for 14 years, it could not be otherwise. The course adapts and bursts into ecstasy with all winning groups, clearance or collision fencing in white and blue shirts. The final minutes are made of everyone with their hands on their heads and the feet trembling nervously: The close of the whistle is crying of liberation for fourteen years. At the end of the game, a struggle breaks out because something is thrown away from the stand towards PSG players: there is excess love that sometimes leads to madness. Vige Sud shows its dance once again: It is a way to confirm the enemy that the position of OM has been restored. Then “Aux Armes-Nous Sommes Les Marseillais-Nous Voulons Gate Allez L’m” (“To Arms! We are Marseilles! We are here to work, Allez Om!”) Ring again. This time it is not an incentive for battle; Now everything is proud of the victory that has been achieved.
Total celebration on the streets of Marseille
n the supervision, outside the field, the party is complete, unbridled, without limits. The background noise is a blend of corners that flash, machines screaming and the rhythm of the straight bass strokes of Jul, Marseille’s symbol and rapper Om. On the street in front of the stadium there is a total anarchy. Traffic is completely closed by celebrating fans who sing and wave scarves and flags against car windows, but the drivers do not seem to have the mind: They celebrate themselves with the same interest and honor the corners. Then a van is passing and the masses have a brilliant intuition immediately: About 30 fans jump in the back and jump around like crazy. Other climbing up on the roof of another truckUntil the police, who until then had fans let go of steam, began to approach the threat to charge.
It’s madness Marseille, a city that lives for his football team, legacy Because it utilizes asylum from the many social problems associated with it, including very high average unemployment and crime rates that make it one of the most dangerous city in Europe. But when the lights on Velodrome come, the difficulties turn to a party where the city’s divisions are overcome in the name of community spirit. That’s what it means for a whole city to push its team. After 14 years, Marseille dreams again.