Marseille boss tired of PSG incidents
PARIS - Security is once again the top issue before Olympique Marseille host arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain in a Ligue 1 match on Friday and Marseille chairman Jean-Claude Dassier has said he is tired of it.
"We can't afford further incidents and it is not normal to need hundreds police on duty just for a football match," Dassier told reporters.
"We need to get rid of the black sheep and those who don't come to watch sport," he added. "This has gone too far."
Friday's game was rearranged from October 25, when it had to be cancelled because several PSG players were diagnosed with the H1N1 virus.
The match was called off at the last minute and PSG supporters had already arrived in Marseille, where some clashed with OM fans. Twenty people, including 11 police officers, were hurt.
Some 650 police will be on duty in and around the stadium on Friday, with around 1,000 PSG fans expected to come to Marseille.
Only those with both a train ticket and a match ticket will be allowed into the Velodrome stadium, to prevent the most dangerous PSG fans travelling to Marseille by car to evade being spotted.
PSG lie a disappointing 12th in the Ligue 1 standings, nine points behind champions and leaders Girondins Bordeaux.
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Marseille, regarded by many as title contenders when the season started, are in eighth, with three more points than the Parisians.
Bordeaux host Valenciennes on Saturday and will hope playmaker Yoann Gourcuff, who was poor in France's controversial 1-1 World Cup playoff draw with Ireland on Wednesday, can step up a few gears.
Olympique Lyon, second, a point back, face a seemingly easy task at Grenoble also on Saturday. Bottom club Grenoble have picked just one point from 12 matches.