Football travel to Marseille

There are plenty of reasons why more and more Brits are flocking to the sunny south of France each summer in search of a cheap getaway, and while Marseille is undeniably a fantastic holiday destination for families, couples and the rest, it is also a great place for football fans to take a break.

Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Olympique de Marseille were considered to be the greatest side in France. The arrival of president Bernard Tapie saw the club build what is arguably still the best squad to ever grace the French league system, with the likes of Eric Cantona, Didier Deschamps, Marcel Desailly, Chris Waddle and Jean-Pierre Papin turning out at the Stade Vélodrome each week.

That squad certainly bulked up the club’s trophy cabinet, securing four league titles, as well as a Champions League trophy – the only French club in history to achieve such a feat. The success spawned a number of Ultra groups which made the Vélodrome a fantastic venue to visit, and while the club are nowhere near as good as they once were, the fierce support of the fans has remained the same.

Located just a short journey away from the famed Vieux Port and other various tourist hotspots, the Vélodrome hosts upwards of 52,000 football fans every other weekend. While French football is often scorned for its lack of atmosphere and support, Marseille actually has the highest average attendance in French football, beating even the mighty Paris Saint-Germain, creating one of the best atmospheres in the league.

The stadium doesn’t really fit in with the city’s aged architecture, and as if it didn’t already, the bright lights that illuminate the exterior on match-days really helps it to stand out. Once inside the ground, visitors are treated to an earful of Van Halen’s ‘Jump’, which is blasted through the loudspeakers, which the club’s passionate fans seemingly take as a commandment.

The Ultra groups are a huge part of the club, as highlighted by the fact that one of the stands has been renamed to the ‘Tribune Patrice de Péretti’ in memory of the ‘Trop Puissant’ group’s late-ringleader, and it is them that have earned the club their ‘Crazies’ nickname. With a number of these groups scattered around the stadium, you are likely to be immersed in the experience no matter where you are seated, and it is likely to change any preconceived negative ideas of French football fans that you might have had.

The level of competition in Ligue 1 might not be up to scratch with the likes of the Premier League or La Liga, but any suggestion that the fans don’t match up to their European neighbours is far from the truth. Marseille might not be playing at the same level that they were 25 years ago, but the fans do their best to ensure that the Stade Vélodrome is still the same fantastic environment, and with tickets costing as little as £9.80, any football fan would be silly not to give the coastal club a chance.

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