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As reported by L’Équipe, the prefecture of the Bouches-du-Rhône have increased the number of security measures in preparation for tonight’s Europa Conference League play-off between Marseille and Qarabag.
Among the identified risks, the prefecture includes “that of confrontation between supporters, whatever their motive may be.”
Visiting fans will be given specific meeting points so that they can be accompanied to their specific seats. Equally, a buffer zone of empty seats has been demarcated in an effort to reduce any friction.
The prefecture has also considered the “geopolitical context” of the game, making reference to the sizeable Armenian community in Marseille, and the ongoing political tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the country from which Qarabag will arrive.
Otherwise, pyrotechnics around the stadium have been banned as have any aerial activities, following the case of a flag being flown over the stadium of Luxembourgish side Dudelange during a Europa League game in 2019. The flag represented the contested region of Upper Qarabag, over which a 6-week war was fought in Autumn 2020, resulting in 6,500 casualties.
