This archive report was first published on 23 August 2021.
On August 22, 2021, a French Ligue 1 match between Nice and Marseille descended into chaos when fans of the home side invaded the pitch and angrily confronted opposing player Dimitri Payet.
Payet had thrown a bottle lobbed at him back into the crowd, prompting an ugly brawl involving players and spectators.
The match was eventually abandoned when Marseille refused to continue, citing concerns for the safety of their players.
Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere stated that the decision to resume the match was taken by the authorities, but Marseille did not want to continue.
According to a source, referee Benoit Bastien was also opposed to a restart.
Marseille president Pablo Longoria claimed that their players were attacked during the pitch invasion and that the safety of their players was not guaranteed.
Longoria also stated that the referee confirmed that safety was not guaranteed and decided to stop the game.
