Numbers that make you dizzy, and an atmosphere that makes your ears buzz. The Vélodrome stadium is preparing to welcome Paris Saint-Germain, which Olympique de Marseille faces this Wednesday (9:10 p.m.) for the shock of the knockout stages of the Coupe de France. It will still be full with more than 65,000 people expected, which should make it the best attendance in the history of the competition, excluding the finals.
It’s simple, the Vélodrome stadium is well ahead of average attendances at mid-season in Ligue 1, with 62,449 spectators on average, far ahead of PSG (47,667) and OL (46,305). This figure must be put into perspective, due to the greater capacity of the Vélodrome, but in terms of occupancy rate, OM are also very strong with 94%, just behind PSG (99%), Lens (98%) and Strasbourg (97%). And it continues, as against Nice on Sunday: the Vélodrome stadium brought together 65,234 spectators, the 3rd best attendance in the history of the club, and the 14th consecutive sold-out league match!
“We know that for OM, the supporters matter. It’s magnificent, we play in front of more than 60,000 people in each match. Playing in a packed stadium motivates us and gives us energy on the pitch. And if we are in this place today, it is largely thanks to them, explained Jordan Veretout before the defeat against Nice. He is the 12th man, they are always behind us, they push us and they have always been there even in difficult times. We hope it will continue like this, they are important to us.
OM among the biggest in Europe
“Thank you to our supporters for coming to the stadium and supporting us, it’s an incredible feeling, it touches us. It’s a daily job to have a full stadium, we have to continue like that. With this unique and extraordinary atmosphere, which I would like to share with everyone, “said Pablo Longoria in the face of such crowds. Which also allow it to generate a nice margin on the ticket office.
The Marseillais have nothing to be ashamed of on the European scene, since OM are in eighth place in the European ranking in terms of average attendance, ahead of Tottenham (61,667), Real Madrid (57,552), Manchester City (53,152 ) or Arsenal (51.544).
New generation and more and more girls
Thierry, founding member of the South Winners, a group of supporters of the south turn with the Commando Ultra, confirms these figures with his feelings. “There are a lot of people! The figures are even underestimated because we are full on the stairs, on the sound system. The very positive thing is that there are more and more girls, and a lot of people from the new generation, who want to be part of the history of the club,” he explains.
The post-Covid-19 effect is reinforced by the “results” and the “animations” offered in bends. “We are increasingly powerful in the representation of the supporters and the spectacles offered during each match. Gone are the days of swinging four rolls of PQ. We surrounded ourselves with qualified people to create large-scale tifos,” he says with satisfaction.
Small flat, it was necessary to remind the codes of the stands to the newcomers, by simply prohibiting the telephone. “We realized that it was terrible, it was spectators and more actors. We tackled the problem a few months ago, and since then, the atmosphere has changed, they are more actors, ”confides Thierry. Enough to rediscover “the atmosphere of the great era”, very useful for OM when they host PSG, whom they have not beaten at the Stade Vélodrome for eleven years.