A Marseille fan has been arrested and charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing a flare during a match in September. The city attorney’s office indicted the 26-year-old man on Friday, more than a month since the incident occurred.
Police say the fan fired the flare inside a car park near the Marseille stadium on September 13. The German club Eintracht Frankfurt was visiting the Ligue 1 team in a Champions League group stage match. The flare reportedly hit another man in the neck, causing serious injuries. In fact, the injured man is reportedly still receiving medical treatment.
The Associate Press also reports that a 64-year-old woman was also injured in the incident. She was injured while she was trying to remove the flare and help her suffering victim.
The incident led to a Marseille fan being charged with attempted murder
Along with the fans, 17 police officers were also injured during the pre-match melee. 3,000 Frankfurt fans bought tickets and traveled to France to see their team that night. Supposedly, there were also more away fans staying outside the stadium in a fan zone.
While the main incident in question occurred outside the stadium, there were also problems inside. Fans from both sides were seen shooting sparklers and fireworks at each other from the stands during the game.
Despite the incident, the game was eventually played that night. Frankfurt won the match 1-0 thanks to a solo goal from Jesper Lindstrom. The vast majority of the 3,000 ticket holders stayed inside the stadium long after the match had ended for security reasons.
The two teams will soon meet again, this time in Germany on Wednesday, October 26. Both clubs will seek to add the three points on the night. Champions League Group D is currently wide open.
Tottenham top the group with seven points, but Marseille and Sporting are just one point behind the Premier League club. Frankfurt is also not out of the race and sits on four points.
