The first Olympique Marseille fans spotted

First Olympique Marseille fans spotted on the morning of Thursday 9 May in Bergamo: we fear a “hot” pre-match this afternoon, certainly not due to the weather. The thermometer that rises is that of typhoid, hot if we talk about the French supporters. A group of fans was spotted in via Verdi and it seems that some skirmish was recorded in the Monterosso area.

The tickets sold to Olympique fans for the return leg in the Europa League semi-finals are 750: sold out therefore for the away sector of the Gewiss Stadium, a part of that “patrol” will also be in the Central Stand, as also happened in the other European matches . Fans without tickets are also expected in the city (in Marseille there were some complaints about the few seats available), and so in total there could be around a thousand OM fans in Bergamo. Atalanta-Marseille fever seems to be high, so much so that on the internet there are reports of touts trying to resell tickets – the stadium is close to being sold out – with multiplied prices.

Given the proximity and logistics of the trip, which is very affordable even by car and coach (with the flow of fans less easily “traceable”), the bulk of the visiting fans have appeared in Bergamo since this morningafter the first few presences yesterday: no Marseille ultras, decidedly hot, were reported at least until the evening, even though security measures had already been strengthened especially in the most sensitive points, from the station to the Upper Town.

The first leg was not free from tension: the long waits at the entrance and exit from the guest sector of the Vélodrome, the arrest and subsequent release (due to mistaken identity, error by the French police) of an 18-year-old from Cenate Sopra accused of having mimicked the gestures of a monkey, the accusation of a Roman salute to another Nerazzurri supporter. A restaurant has been set up for this afternoon Meeting point in Piazzale Alpini for Marseille fans who will gather there and from there they will be transported by bus, escorted by the police, towards the guest sector of the Gewiss Stadium.

Among the precautions, the Municipality of Bergamo has renewed the usual anti-alcohol ordinance: from 9 this morning to 6 on Friday in the areas between the stadium, the center of Piacenza and the center of the upper city, the serving of alcoholic beverages above 5 degrees is prohibited (with the exception of restaurants) and the sale of takeaway drinks in glass containers and cans.