One of the fiercest rivalries in world football- Olympique Marseille vs Paris Saint-Germain
Rivalry is one common thing in sports, be it football, cricket or any other game. It could be between the two teams, the two nations or even the two individuals. There rivalries sometimes result in worst ever disasters which eventually causes bitterness
between the two sides of fans. Similarly the two Ligue 1 sides, Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille, have been involved in such bitter rivalry for quite sometimes now.
Paris and Marseille are the biggest cities in France and their matches are termed as ‘Le Classique’. Marseille was founded in 1899 while PSG, as a club came to the scene in 1970. Both clubs didn’t get to play each other quite often but gradually the tension
between the clubs started mounting when a considerable number of Marseille’s contingent voiced their hatred regarding the more dominant Political, cultural and economic influence in Paris. These facts were not accepted gleefully by the PSG fans and since then
some serious differences arose among both side of the fans. This all started from the early part of the 1990’s and has carried on since then. Despite all possible efforts from the French Football Association and even the UEFA, both clubs have come very far
in this rivalry and now it seems uncontrollable. This is very similar to what we get in England and Spain between Everton-Liverpool and Real Madrid-Barcelona respectively.
The first of such incidents between the two sides took place in 1995 during the semi-finals of the Coupe de France which the PSG won by a 2-0 margin. This led to a clash between both sides of the fans which left a few of the security personnel injured. According
to the reports nine of them were taken to the hospital while 146 fans were arrested after being held responsible for initiating the fight.
The next of those incidents proved fatal for an 18-year-old young Marseille supporter who was paralyzed for life after being involved in a clash with the PSG fans. It happened during a game played on October 13/2000.
The matters never seemed to be resolved and this rivalry was not only limited to the teams but fans also became an essential part of it. On the 25th of January, 61 fans were arrested after being involved in a tangle that left a number of people
injured.
The rivalry became increasingly intensified and one of the PSG fan was hit by a car being driven b a Marseille supporter. On the same day, 10 of the fans were injured and as many got arrested.
A recent incident between the two parties took place on the 28 of February 2010 where 20 people were arrested after being involved in a clash. A young PSG fan by the name of Yann L was hit by a Marseille supporter which resulted in blood running out of his
head. He was then admitted to a hospital where he was diagnosed with Comma. In spite of several attempts being made to ensure Yann’s survival, doctors couldn’t make it possible and he died on March 18, 2010.
This rivalry between the two sides though did not have any significant impact upon the players but it swallowed one innocent life. The trend has continued since the last decade which has led to many injuries and hundreds of arrests. In spite of these casualties,
this rivalry is not expected to subside at least for the time being.
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