A little kiss to a friend, we step over a first flag, we bend down in a second, we put something in the locker. And here we have passed the first ticket check, without having an entry ticket. The search is well carried out, and we will now have to grapple with the turnstile. Like these few supporters, Sunday evening against RC Lens (2-1), there will be several of them trying to enter the Vélodrome stadium in this way for the Europa League semi-final first leg between Olympique de Marseille and Atalanta Bergamo, this Thursday evening (9 p.m.).
The volcano on Boulevard Michelet will obviously be sold out for this European meeting, the places not reserved for the more than 40,000 subscribers this season are gone in a few hours. For those who don’t have one and absolutely want to witness the momentum of this season at home, they will have to make do. Like in the quarter-final against Benfica (1-0, TAB 4-2), already. “Against Benfica, it was excessive, there were a lot of people on the sides. You had 50, 100 people waiting near the lockers. They enter that way, without a ticket, but are still searched. It shows in all matches, even if against Nice [trois jours avant] there was almost no one there,” confides a subscriber from the north bend, who prefers to remain anonymous.
“The base, go camping with the groups”
A sleight of hand between friends, still different from the small arrangements between ticket sellers and stewards, reported by France Bleu. According to a testimony collected by local radio, “there may be 1,000, 2,000 [supporteurs en plus sans billets], or even more on big matches and by turn.” Perfectly ridiculous information according to Olympique de Marseille, which did not wait for the France Bleu article to carry out checks. After hours and hours of watching security cameras of the match against PSG, it quickly appeared impossible that 200, or even 300 supporters, could improperly enter the stands of the Stade Vélodrome. And if there is the slightest doubt about security personnel, arrangements are made.
It is nevertheless entirely possible to find a deal to attend a European Cup semi-final in Marseille for free, beyond recovering a subscription from a person who cannot come to the stadium. “The basic idea is to go camping with the groups early in the afternoon and then stay in the corner until the match,” says a subscriber from the south bend. A technique well known to the club, like regulars at the corners, and which ultimately does not bother many people: in exchange for a small service for the group and the club, you can encourage your team for free.
The OM-PSG orgy last year
Schemes, but also scams. And more specifically during Cup matches, with e-tickets rather than traditional subscription cards which are difficult to forge. Like during the Coupe de France match between OM and PSG last season. “Some sell their e-ticket to 100 people, and the first one who comes will be able to enter. For the others, it’s screwed. This is what happened against PSG, it made a huge mess at the counter because there were a lot of scams, people crowded together and after a while, it was gone in balls. People forced themselves, little ones tried to scratch and the stewards were overtaken. As a result, hundreds of people climbed through the turnstiles and there must have been close to 80,000 in the stadium that evening, without acting like Marseillais,” relates a witness.
Since then, OM has separated the entrance to the Jean-Bouin stand and the North bend, via Boulevard Michelet, from that of the Ganay stand and the South bend; via Dromel. In order to limit the influx of supporters only by Michelet, and to find themselves in this type of situation.
“Do not take out your e-ticket before the first gate”
Which does not prevent certain “little ones” from continuing to cheat, always during Cup matches, with e-tickets. “I often tell people not to take out their ticket before the first gate, because little ones will take their picture. All you need is the ticket number to go to a site and generate a barcode which then allows you to enter. The little ones hang around, and as soon as they see someone take out their ticket without being careful, they take a photo of it. No need for the photo to be clear with the barcode technique,” adds the supporter of the north turn.
Others show much less deception, and are content to pass the people in front of them to return with them. A more classic technique, like the older ones which consisted of going through scaffolding when the Vélodrome was under construction, or by the aerial metro between the Prado roundabout and Dromel. But access is increasingly secure, and “serial chippers” must now innovate.
Four “free” Europa League matches
However, OM’s pricing policy is quite advantageous for supporters, especially this season. If the price of the subscription increased by 10 euros at the start of the season, it allowed OM supporters to attend all the matches of the final phase of the Europa League at no extra cost: Shaktar, Villarreal, Benfica and now Atalanta.
But in a city which has one of the poorest districts in France, and with Olympique de Marseille as its religion, it is not surprising to see certain diehards continue to try to get in on the Vélodrome stadium. Like a last vestige of popular football in the age of modern and impenetrable stadiums, located ever further from city centers.