The derby match between Lyon and Marseille was stopped after only a few minutes due to a bottle thrown at the head of Dimitri Payet in November. More than two months after the incident, everybody is still angry about it. Lyon is angry that the game was stopped while the main victim, Dimitri Payet is angry because after all that he has been through, he feels like the guilty one. Also, this replay is not good for any of the clubs. Both teams are weakened by injuries, and absentees who are on international duty and on top of that, schedule for February is brutal. In just 28 days, Olympique Marseille will play eight matches. Olympique horrific! A French Ligue 1 derby gets suspended for the ultras incidentThe beauty of the Ligue 1 is that unless you are PSG, you always have a chance to fight for the Champions League spot. Lyon is in 11th place, but if they win tonight, they will climb into 5th place. But coach Peter Bosz is still angry because the match in November was abandoned.”It was not necessary to stop the match, he said at a press conference on Monday, on the eve of the match. There were 60,000 people in the stadium, a good atmosphere, a madman and everyone stops… The referee didn’t want to stop, Marseille refused to resume, so yes there is anger” said the Dutchman at the press conference. Olympique Lyon, Rova Sports to conduct scouting session in NairobiBosz will be without audience for this one (the game is played in front of empty stadium), but also without a host of important players: Lucas Paqueta and Karl Toko Ekambi (international duty), Bruno Guimaraes (sold to Newcastle), Moussa Dembele (Covid), Jason Denayer (injured), Damien Da Silva and Tino Kadewere(suspended), but what’s even worse, they won’t be able to filed their new recruits Tanguy Ndombele and Romain Faivre.’New normal’ at St. James’ Park: KSh6,3 billion for Brazilian maverickIn first of their 8 games this month, the guests will be without Bamba Dieng and Pape Gueye (AFCON), Gerson (international duty with Brazil), and Konrad de la Fuente (injured), while Cedric Bakambu and Sead Kolasinac are the new additions but won’t be able to play. But, Marseille’s best player Dimitri Payet wil be there, at the ’scene of the crime’, which was the second incident, after the Nice game. “I am the first disappointed to play in an empty stadium tomorrow, even if it is in Lyon. The authorities have taken decisions and I hope that they will take others which will stop the violence in the stages. I felt like I was guilty in both of those stories. And that’s what hurt, more than the bottle. Mentally, it was complicated, because it was the second time. We heard a lot of things, people who gave their opinion but without throwing the slightest idea to solve the problem. But it’s a fight that I want lead, which I will lead personally, but I will do everything to erase these images of violence and we, the players, are the first to take responsibility for these things. It goes beyond speaking out. I work with people to try to build something. If the decision-makers can’t make decisions, we players will” said Payet. LIGUE 1 ROUND 1423:00 (2.95) LYON (3.20) MARSEILLE (2.65)
