Planning the next Footy Trip is always an exciting prospect and when one of your best pals moves to go and work for a top level Football Club, the decision is made much easier. Usually I’ll see what fixtures works best with availability and flight times but with Fran having access to tickets it was more a case of checking when Marseille played their biggest game of the season against PSG and letting Fran know I was on my way.
Also a great bonus to return to France so soon after truly wonderful experience at the Olympics in Paris a couple of months earlier. With ‘Allez les Blues’ still ringing in my ears this time I was heading to the South of France
Awaiting confirmation of fixture timings I was hoping for a few combinations with nearby teams Montpellier and Nice also playing at home that weekend. Alas I didn’t get the dream combo so just ‘Le Classique’ for this trip, but flights to Nice on a Sunday morning meant I could play for the mighty TUFC on the Saturday and head out on match day.
Smooth Arrival
After smooth flights and a Flixbus from Nice there I was landing in the oldest city in France, founded in 600 BC as Massalia by Greek mariners. After catching up with Fran and dropping bags we mooched on down towards the stadium. The atmosphere was buzzing outside, thousands of fans gathered and firecrackers going off all around.
We joined the locals for a beer, a baguette and the local delicacy of Pastis, an Anaseed flavoured aperitif originating from Marseille, popular across France and apparently the world as well. Served up with water and Ice, it could be seen on every table and was being enjoyed in various different quantities, sorry to say that the beer helped wash away the taste rather than compliment it, not something I’d be picking up as a souvenir.
With the highest cumulative Ligue 1 points total and the best supported in the country, we were about to see arguably the biggest team in French History in action.
Initially founded in 1899, after 7 years as a sports club, Olympique de Marseille was formed. The Olympique was in homage to the cities creation by Greek settlers from Phoecea 25 centuries earlier. To this day the fans are known as ‘Les Phoceens’ as a nod to their origins. ‘Droit au but’ or ‘straight to the goal’ was the motto started by the Rugby section of the club but has also continued to this day and is synonymous with the Marseille badge
First Successes
After coming to the fore through the 1920’s they won the last amateur title before winning the first of their 9 professional league titles in 1937, Only PSG (12) and St Etienne (10) sit above them in the honours list.
Club legend Gustaff Andersson banged in 194 goals through the 50’s, but he was keeping them in the top flight rather than spearheading title challenges. To this day he is still the clubs all-time record goal scorer and will remain so for a very long time. His departure in 1958 led to relegation with Marseille only returning to stability in the top flight some 8 years later. Ligue Un success returned in 1971 catapulted by 44 goals from starman Josip Skoblar, a record for one season that not even Kylian MBappe has been able to match. Another ‘Le Trophée de Ligue 1’ was added to the trophy cabinet the following year before 15 more years of ups and downs…. enter Bernard Tapie.
In 1986 Tapie became president of the club, a man of many talents. A businessman, singer, actor, television host and politician. He saved Adidas from bankruptcy, formed a formidable Tour de France team winning 2 titles and broke records for fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. This was no ordinary man, he knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it, and his time at Marseille was to be no different. His dream was to make them the best club in Europe and dominate French Football, by whatever means necessary. His arrival was nicely timed with PSG winning their first title in 1986 thus igniting this fledgling rivalry
A New Era
He masterminded the purchase of a plethora of star players, future Balon d’or winner Jean-Pierre Papin, Chris Waddle, Abide Pele, Didier Deschamps, Desailly, Barthez, Tigana, etc, I could go on.
In 1989 Tapie reached his first milestone, triumphing in a narrow title race against their new found Parisian rivals, now it was time to dominate France and conquer Europe. Marseille continued their success and ended up winning a then record, let’s say, 5 in a row.
One of my first memories in life, let alone football was family and friends gathered round the TV for the 1991 European Cup Final as Marseille were defeated on penalties by a terrific Red Star Belgrade team. But this wasn’t going to stop Tapie and Co, he brought in the services of one of Football’s all-time greats in Franz Beckenbauer, and there is usually only one outcome when he is involved.
In 1993, they finally achieved their crowning glory. A Basil Boli goal just before half time was enough to hold off Fabio Capello’s AC Milan and inaugurate Marseille as the first French European Champions, and to this day, despite the best efforts of their northern rivals, the only European Champions. Didier Deschamps became the youngest captain to win the title, setting the foundations for a career that would prove him one of the most accomplished leaders in Football History.
Underhand tactics
As touched on earlier, Tapie was not one who was willing to accept anything other than winning and was prepared to pull a few strings to make that happen. In the immediate aftermath of the final it became clear that the players of Valenciennes, a small club by the Belgian border, had been bribed to ‘take it easy’ on Marseille in their final league game just 6 days before the Final.
However, one player refused to take part, Jaques Glassman, who later won the FIFA Fair Play award for his honesty, notified the referee and subsequently the relevant authorities. Once proven, Marseille were stripped of that 5th consecutive title, relegated to Ligue 2 and later ended up filing for bankruptcy. Tapie’s punishment was 6 months in jail after having a greater sentence reduced. Despite this being the only proven case of bribery, there are many other accusations that throw shade over their routes to the European finals and brings a dark cloud over their successes in that period.
Rebuilding the club hasn’t been easy and success hard to come by, Didier Drogba inspired one of their two Europa League Runner Up’s spots but his namesake Deschamps continued his love affair with the club and delivered the goods returning as manager to lead Marseille to the 2010 league title before taking on the national team job where he’s not done too badly either.
Barren Period
But the trophy cabinet has been more or less unopened since then, taking us up to the present day. ‘Les Olympiens’, with the 20th highest revenue in the world of football, make no mistake about it, are a huge club, and the fans expect huge things. In 2021 the Ultras made their feelings known by storming the training ground to stress their feelings towards club officials leading to the next match being postponed and the subsequent departure of manager Andre Vilas Boas.
Thankfully spirits were a little higher today and with good reason. Marseille had splashed the cash in the summer. New recruits included Adrian Rabiot, Pierre Emile Hojberg and more controversially, Mason Greenwood. Banished from English football due to his off field misdemeanours, this didn’t seem to be an issue on the continent after a successful spell in Spain last season. A positive winning start to the season left them in third place going into the evening’s clash, with only south coast neighbours Monaco sandwiched between the night’s competitors.
With enough Pastis knocked back we made our way into the Stade du Velodrome, a truly unique and iconic venue that had long been on my list of stadiums to visit. Second largest in France behind the Stade de France, the 67,000 seater was opened in 1937 and has hosted games in 2 World Cups, 3 European Championships, 2 Rugby World Cups and the 2024 Olympics. A true icon of the footballing world that records the largest average attendance in the country and the 9th biggest in the world of football
The stadium name is an indication of the fact it originally hosted Cycling as well as Football and a track was present in various guises until 1985 when the latest renovation removed it under instruction of Tapie
And there it is
Partway through explaining the grim story of Joey Barton we turned the corner to see the Velodrome in all its beauty, always a great sight when you first spot the ground in all its splendour, a unique stadium that really captures the imagination
Entry was smooth and within minutes I had a beer in hand for a not outrageous 7 Euros. Always a pleasure to be able to bring the beer to the seat and the proximity between that and the bar enhanced my mood even further. 40 minutes before kick off the Ultras were already fully in place and in full voice. As expected for such a big game there was a huge tifo that raised slowly of the enduring image of former player and current advisor Fabrizio Ravanelli, nose to nose with Pierre Ducrocq in a previous notoriously intense meeting between the two sides back in 1997.
The fans producing the banner are among the most famous, feared and admired in European Football. The Commando Ultras 84 are the oldest fan group in France, closely followed by the South winners. The 2 best known groups congregate in the South Stand and the remainder of the 7 official fan groups are situated in the North stand, the Patrice de Paretti stand.
An era defining club president? A Historic player? Oh no, Patrice was a legendary fan who was front and centre of every display of passion from the fans, leading the way shirtless on every occasion with full blown dedication and commitment to the cause. On an early visit to the Velodrome, inspired by AEK Athens travelling fans he vowed never to wear a shirt again to a game, the -12 degrees in Moscow was a test of his steel but one he passed with flying colours as he stuck to his word. Tapie allowed him to join the celebrations for the Champions League victory and even lift the trophy in front of the fans. This symbol of dedication to the club sadly lost his life at the tender age of 28 to a ruptured aneurism, his legacy lives on and is admired and remembered by all involved with the club.
United Spirit
Many are intimidated by the fans of Marseille, and understandably so, but behind the fierce front is a unity and love for their city and their people, incredibly diverse and multi-cultural, they are generally left wing and anti-authoritarian, when the people of Marseille suffered during Covid, as with many football clubs, it was the Ultra groups that rallied to support them where the Government failed. With high levels of unemployment in the city, particularly amongst the youth, an evening at the Velodrome offers 90 minutes of rest bite and togetherness in what can be a challenging place to live. Above all, one thing unites Marseille fans like nothing else…a hatred of their great northern rivals and tonight’s visitors, Paris Saint Germain.
As Cristiano Cataldo, the President of another fan group, ‘The Dodger’s’ put it nicely.
“It’s a rivalry of mentality, of way of life, of culture,” he says. “We’re the south, they’re the north. They’re the capital, we’re the biggest city in France after Paris. It’s like a team from Manchester or Liverpool against a team from London. The provinces against the capital. The provinces against the power.”
The bourgeois, high class image conscious capital against the working class ‘nickname’ of the Mediterranean. This rivalry has cultural significance that goes beyond the football pitch. Traditional cosmopolitan wealth against industrial heartland. The only two French teams with European Silverware after PSG’s Cup Winners Cup win in 1996.
Forever First
Marseille remain the only French Winner of Europe’s premier prize. As the oil money of Qatar has catapulted PSG to the pinnacle of French Football, surpassing Marseille’s Ligue 1 haul, that Champions League title honour becomes even more significant. “A jamais les premiers” (Forever First) is a phrase oft directed towards ‘Les Parisiens’
As with many great rivalries, emotions too often spill over and the tragic death of a PSG fan in 2010 after Ultra in-fighting means that sadly no away fans are in attendance for this fixture. PSG’s domination of this duel is highlighted by 13 years without a home win for Marseille and not even so much as a goal here since 2017, the home team were up against it. But you never know…what did this years ‘Le Classique’ have in store for us?
Well, first off, deafening boo’s as the PSG keepers came out to warm up, if that was a taster for what was to come then we were in for some treat. The din was amplified by the unique shape of the stadium which only added to the fierce atmosphere. Could Marseille take the spoils and leave a 3 way tie at the top of Ligue Un or would PSG continue their dominance.
Ready to Rock and Roll
By the time Van Halen was playing and the players were ready, the atmosphere was at fever pitch and we were ready for the biggest game in France. 6 minutes in, the space opened up for Nuno Mendes who ran half the length of the pitch unchallenged, after a quick 1-2 his deflected cross fell to compatriot Joao Neves who broke the deadlock and dampened the Marseille crowd.
The home side struggled to get going as PSG dominated the ball whilst also pressing high out of possession. When Geronimo Rulli drilled the ball up towards Amine Harit, his collision with Marquinhos barely justified a Free Kick, but to the amazement and disgust of everyone in the stadium, the red card was brandished. The decision was so bad that we gave the familiar opinion of ‘He must have said something’. But no, VAR backed up the awful decision and Marseille knew they were in for a long night.
Time to dig deep, show some resilience, frustrate the champions and see if they can snatch a late equaliser and come out with pride and positivity…..or they could just double the deficit with a calamitous own goal. Leonardo Balerdi went for the latter and directed the ball past the hapless Rulli with not a PSG player in sight. 30 minutes in and the game I’d looked forward to for so long was dead and gone. The fans sung on but the sting had gone out of their songs and it was all about defiance rather than hope as PSG knocked the ball around all evening. A real shame but that’s football for you.
Final Nail in the Coffin
After Greenwood gave the ball away and then ambled back towards his own goal, he saw Bradley Barcola turn in Dembele’s cross from a position he could have been in with a little bit of effort, this led to his Half-Time withdrawal, not the man you want to line up alongside in a battle, or at any point to be honest, not something the Marseille fans were concerned with as they had cheered his name as loud as any when the pre match line ups were read out.
So for the first time in the history of this iconic fixture, PSG led 3-0 at HT in the Velodrome. A couple of gilt edged misses in the second half spared further humiliation for Marseille who battled valiantly, led by former PSG man Adrian Rabiot. The fans showed their displeasure at the final whistle which seemed needlessly harsh given the circumstances of the red card ‘mais c’est la vie’. One surely for them to simply draw a line under and move forward. PSG remain unbeaten and those terrible records in ‘Le Classique’ continue to make awful reading for Marseille followers, still a long way to go but it looks highly likely PSG could make it 4 in a row to match the ‘official’ Marseille record under Tapie.
As the dust settled we headed for a couple of pricey beers before heading home. A 9pm Sunday kick off doesn’t necessarily allow for too much post match activity after which was just fine by us as we’d need plenty of energy for the next day.
Plenty to see
Marseille is located beautifully on the French Riviera, even in October the temperatures during the day were at a pleasant 20 degrees. There are a plethora of day trips available from here, along the Côte d’Azur to high class destinations such as Monaco, St Tropez and Nice, ideal for an extended Footy Trip if fixtures align, saying that, do they ever bloody align? Closer to home there are boat trips out to the local islands but my foray of choice was the short 30 minute Scooter ride to ‘Les Calanques’.
Translated loosely as ‘Rocky Inlets’, one can hike down to the sea and relax in these tranquil spots before scrambling back across the coastline along some more challenging terrain where some glorious views out to The Mediterranean are to be had. An ideal way to catch up with an old friend, our only regret was insufficient drinking water and time meaning we couldn’t hang around too much to admire the views for fear of returning in darkness. One of those places you’d love a little man to pop out and sell you a fresh cold beer, name your price pal, but alas, our mythical barman never arrived and we returned home for a nightcap of Grimbergen and a game of chess.
City Centre Tourism
The City of Marseille itself isn’t short of a thing or two to do either, I jumped on the M2 Metro line in search of Basilique Notre Dame, I was surprised to see it was nowhere near Notre Dame du Mont station when I alighted, so I strolled about, whipped out my Football Weekends Magazine and grabbed myself a pint. What a tranquil, trendy spot to chill out for a few hours. The Café’s and Bars were surrounded by graffiti laden walls and art shops as the sun shone brightly on the ‘Quartier des Createurs’.
Nicely relaxed but with places to be I strolled down through the vibrant and bustling African Quarter before arriving at the Old Port, the meeting point for my walking tour. One of the few memories of my brief trip to Marseille during the 2016 European Championships, thankfully not the day the Russians came in to town to beat the living daylights out of as many English fans as they could, egged on by a few locals who had less than pleasant memories of English fans causing trouble during their visit to play Tunisia in France 98.
History of Marseille
‘La Vieux Port’ has been has long been the entry to this important city, one that boomed during their co-operation with the Roman Empire before falling to ruin after centuries of invasions and epidemics. Repopulation revived the city from the 10th Century onwards and the Region of Provence, including Marseille joined the Kingdom of France in 1481.
Marseille played a key part in political issues and enthusiastically supported the French Revolution. As they marched north to Paris they sang “The War Song of the Rhine Army,” which had been composed in Strasbourg in the late 18th century. The song, which thrilled the crowds along the route of the march, was renamed “La Marseillaise” and became the national anthem of France in 1795.
During the 19th century, Marseille became known as the ‘Port of the Empire’ and the city really began to develop with many historic buildings being constructed as well as the acceleration of their industrial production, becoming a major centre of employment and manufacturing. Leading from the front was the production of ‘Savon de Marseille’, a soap making tradition dating back to the 1400’s, and although the industry has hugely declined, it is still something that can be found in all souvenir shops and retains its high quality standard.
Wartime Occupation
During WW2, the city was occupied for 2 years until being liberated by the predominantly French contingent of the allied forces. From the 1950’s onwards, Marseille progressed further due to reparations from Germany and Italy and they began to rebuild their status.
A huge influx of Algerians after their independence from France in 1962 continued a tradition of immigration. Italians and North Africans have long flocked to this city for obvious geographical reasons, but many have travelled from much further afar including large communities of Vietnamese and Armenians. A true definition of a melting pot with cultures congregated here from all over the world.
Back to the tour and it took us through the famous ‘Le Panier’ district, which admittedly underwhelmed me given my early afternoon jaunt in Notre Dame du Mont. The tour finished aside the spectacular ‘Cathédrale La Major’, the perfect setting with a glorious sunset in the background and a game of Pétanque being played behind us, the most typical staple of outdoor life in Marseille, next time I’m determined to get involved in a game.
Well well well
As the guide was rounding up the show she gave recommendations as to where to find the best Bouillabaisse in the city, the traditional soup is the leading light in a thriving local cuisine, but given prices are rumoured to start at 55 Euros a bowl, it was an offer I politely declined. She did however leave us with one parting nugget, according to Time Magazine’s recent article, Marseille is home to the Number One ‘coolest neighbourhood’ in the whole world…. Where else but Notre Dame du Mont!! Of course I told Fran to hop on his scooter and meet me there. As I wandered back through the city I stopped for a beer or two by a bustling square full of families chatting away as the boys and girls honed their footy skills. A nice vibrant setting to pass the early evening.
My final day in Marseille and there was only one thing left on my ‘to do’ list, to get up to the actual Notre Dame Basilica. Again, the weather was perfect, sunny but breezy. This being the highest point of Marseille meant an inevitable steep incline, not something I’d fancy in 30 degree plus summer heat.
Once atop this great metropolis it was clear why this was the jewel in the crown of a city attracting 5 million tourists a year. A stunning interior with panoramic views from the terraces, Stade Du Velodrome one side, the yacht filled old port to the next and the tranquillity of the Mediterranean sea on the other.
Iconic picture
Heading back down after my visit I was lucky to take the exit I did. I was struck by one of those epic views where a football pitch is front and centre. Turns out I wasn’t the only one with the same thought as it the exact same picture on the cover of ‘Mundial’ Magazine’s Issue 18.
My finale in Marseille was a jog along the Kennedy Corniche, a promenade stretching 5km along the coastline, taking in the beautiful but rather busy Plage de Catalans and culminating with the ‘Grand Roue de Marseille’. A truly wonderful spot to, run, relax, socialise, just another element to Marseille which won’t neccesarily put it in the most famous holiday destinations in the world but will certainly ensure there is plenty of opportunity for a fabulous vacation.
A people with huge pride in their city and culture, happy to be different from the rest of France, a city able to call two of the most enigmatic footballers of recent times their own in Eric Cantona and Zinedine Zidane. A place that gives me a strong feeling to describe it as the Napoli of France, a one club city with a distinct edge and mix of cultures brought about by generations of immigration. One, like Napoli I would recommend to any fan to add to their list of potential destinations for a Footy Trip.
Is Marseille worth a visit as a Footy Trip?
As always, I’ll rate Marseille as a Footy Trip out of 100 across 10 different categories
Team Ability – Playing in the 5th best league in Europe but not in European Football, in a good moment of form but still lacking the star quality to take them to the next level – 6.5/10
Atmosphere – A city that lives and breathes football. The Ultras put on a great show from start to finish despite the disappointment of events on the pitch. – 8.5/10
Stadium Quality – One of the greats in Europe with a long and stories past, a huge stadium with unique, instantly recognisable features and one that only enhances the atmosphere – 9/10
Beer/Food at stadium – Beer that can be taken to your seat, and if you’re lucky enough, only a 1minute walk away – 8/10
Tourism – A city with many stunning features, hugely underrated as a tourist destination – 8/10
Accessibility – Very affordable to get to and several alternative routes but once there you pay the South of France prices which can be eye watering – 5/10
People – A rough and ready reputation, no great interaction personally but no issues. Certainly an edge to the city and some areas that are you’d do very well to steer clear of – 6/10
Stadium Surroundings – A 10 minute walk from a picturesque coastline and plenty of bars and bakeries for the pre and post-match festivities – 8.5/10
History – Well over 100 years old, one of the best in French History and the only French European Champions – 8.5/10
Ease/Cost of ticket purchase – Free tickets from your mate is about as good as it gets but a late check saw 100 Euros would have been needed to get involved for this game but I think they are much cheaper face value and although most games are sold out I think it shouldn’t be too hard to get one if planning ahead – 5/10
Total – 73/100
Overall a class city to watch football and somewhere I would certainly recommend visiting for a Footy Trip
Accomplishments
For me in terms of personal accomplishments on this trip. The first Ligue Un game I have been to but my 3rd French stadium. And I’ve now seen games at 19 of the 96 teams in the top 5 leagues
An absolute pleasure as always to travel around the world enjoying the delights on offer, thanks again for joining me and until the next Footy Trip, Au revoir