UEFA Champions League French Authority Bars Panathinaikos Fans From Marseille Game

An injunction issued Sunday by the French Interior Ministry prohibits supporters of the Greek club Panathinaikos from going to Marseille on Tuesday for the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

Anyone claiming to be a Panathinaikos supporter or acting in a way that suggests they are is barred “between French road, rail, port and airport border points on the one hand and the municipality of Marseille on the other” according to the order, which is in effect “from midnight to midnight.”

According to the ministry, there is “a real and serious risk of conflict” between the fans of the two teams, and Panathinaikos’ away games “regularly serve as a catalyst for public disorder” because of the “violent behaviour of some of the team’s supporters.”

Read Also:UEFA Condemns AEK Anthens Horrific Incident

The ministry is especially worried about fights and pyrotechnics being thrown, as has happened at previous games.

The order continues: “Some Marseille supporters,” who have connections to Panathinaikos’ rivals AEK Athens, “also frequently adopt violent behaviour,” making the risk “all the more real.”

Uefa prohibited French supporters from travelling to Athens for the first leg, which Panathinaikos won 1-0, last week.

A young AEK fan was fatally stabbed last week following altercations with Dinamo Zagreb supporters in Croatia. The AEK vs. Zagreb game was postponed.


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