Marseille fans hang effigy of Mathieu Valbuena as crowd trouble delays game for 20 minutes

Valbuena used to play for Marseille before moving to Dinamo Moscow and then Lyon

Tom Sheen
Monday 21 September 2015 06:43 EDT
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Marseille's game with Lyon was delayed for 20 minutes on Sunday night because of crowd trouble at the Stade Velodrome.

With an hour played, referee Ruddy Buquet took the players off the field as Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes was pelted with bottles, cups and other objects while trying to take a goal kick.

But it was French international Mathieu Valbuena who took the brunt of the abuse from the home fans.

The 5ft 4in midfielder had been a fans' favourite during eight years at the club, where he won a Ligue 1 title and three League Cups - Marseille even retired his old No 28 shirt when he opted to leave for Dinamo Moscow.

But after just a year in Russia, Valbuena returned to France but not to Marseille but their rivals Lyon.

The fans reacted by hanging an effigy of the 30-year-old behind one of the goals and hurling objects at him, while Marseille players handed him some rough treatment.

Eventually play was resumed, with riot police stationed around the pitch, with the sides going on to draw 1-1.

"The club will assume its responsibilities regarding the two or three beer bottles that were thrown onto the field," OM president Vincent Labrune told Canal+.

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