MARSEILLE
Marseille, the home of by far the wildest, most unhinged fanbase in all of France and is regarded among the most controversial supporters in modern-football. Rebellious they are, but the Marseille chronicles are simply unlike any other club today. In contrast to other ultras, Marseille’s may have different philosophies and ideas for their beloved Olympiens, but all fans unite as one to make the Stade Velodrome the fortress it is. There is no divide when you are from Marseille as although this club represents one of the biggest cities in France, Marseille is devoid of any local rivalry.
There are many clubs in modern-football with a similar reputation of being a ‘run by the fans’ type of club, but Marseille may be some of the biggest exercisers of these unorthodox principles. Unlike the members of 2018/19 Europa League hooligan-rivals Lazio, Marseille fans have been rewarded for their diehard antics and are very much listened to and contain a certain amount of respect from staff and players. In 2018/19 after a 1-1 draw to relegation battlers AS Monaco, Marseille’s most influential players in Luiz Gustavo, Florian Thauvin, Steve Mandanda and more approached the fans to apologise for their poor form and engage in conversation with angry fans. The situation didn’t exceed conversation, but this act from the players and eventually head coach Rudi Garcia showed that they are listening to the demands for change.
To be a Marseille fan, you must bleed blue. Marseille fans are easily amongst the most passionate in the world, you must truly outdo other supporters in every aspect. You must take no prisoners as there are plenty of rivalries to indulge with, the most animated being with Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint Germain. If you love Marseille, you must one day do yourself a favour and attend a Le Classique against Ligue 1 giants PSG or a Derby Des Olympiques against Lyon, to truly have any sort of idea what it’s like to be amongst the world’s most elite football fans.