Olympique de Marseille supporters will be banned from the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium on Saturday for the match of the 30th day of Ligue 1 between OM and Saint-Etienne, the Loire prefecture announced on Monday.
“Given the serious incidents that have occurred in recent years during meetings between the two teams and the significant risk of public order disturbances due to the exacerbated antagonism between the two clubs, Catherine Séguin, Prefect of the Loire , decided by order to prohibit OM supporters from accessing the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium,” the prefecture wrote in a press release.
Failure to comply with the provisions of this decree is punishable by 6 months’ imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 euros, and offenders are liable to administrative stadium bans, it is specified.
Saint-Etienne supporters were also banned from traveling to Marseille for the first leg on August 28.
Olympique de Marseille is currently 2nd in Ligue 1, one step ahead of Stade Rennais, while AS Saint-Etienne is in 18th place, in the play-off position.