Marseille ultras cause wild scenes outside the Stade Velodrome

Olympique Marseille ultras arrived at the Stade Velodrome to create a hostile atmosphere ahead of the visit of Tottenham in the Champions League. 

Banned from entering the ground after causing trouble earlier in the competition, the ultras turned up anyway and let off fireworks, flares and other pyrotechnics as the tension ramped up ahead of kick off. 

Fireworks were let off in the early hours of Tuesday morning as the Tottenham players slept in their hotel ahead of the fixture in southern France. 

With the tension ramping up to kick off with both sides in with a chance of qualifying for the last 16, Olympique de Marseille fans sought to turn the area around the ground into as hostile a location as possible as further fireworks were let off alongside flares.

Marseille fans created a wild and fearsome atmosphere outside the ground on Tuesday

In footage widely circulated on social media and the television networks around the world showing the game, OM supporters were filmed letting off various pyrotechnics as kick off drew ever closer. 

Earlier in the competition, OM supporters caused trouble at Tottenham with police and stewards having to rush towards the away end to quell the issues back in September.

As a result, Marseille were handed a £29,000 fine for the trouble. Tottenham were handed down a £5,000 punishment for supporters’ throwing objects at the away end. 

The scenes follow the fireworks being let off outside the Tottenham hotel in the early hours

With Antonio Conte absent from the bench and indeed the dressing room pre-match after being sent off after raging at the referee last week for disallowing Tottenham’s last-gasp effort against Frankfurt, assistant Cristian Stellini was asked by BT Sport about the early morning pyrotechnics. 

‘Yes, I slept well. We enjoyed the fireworks, but they were a bit short,’ he said. 

It’s believed that the fireworks were let off at 1.30am and again at 4.30am.

Italian publication Corriere dello Sport reported that Tottenham held an emergency meeting at 10.30am to guarantee the safety of players ahead of tonight’s match. 

Marseille supporters sought to create a hostile atmosphere for the do or die game in France

Conte’s side are expected to be welcomed by a typically hostile atmosphere in Marseille tonight, with all still to play for in Tottenham’s group.  

Spurs need only a point against Marseille in the Stade Velodrome on Tuesday to guarantee a place in the top two of Champions League Group D and qualify for the knock-out rounds next year.

Marseille must win to qualify, a result which would knock Conte’s team out of the competition and dump them into the Europa League. 

Tottenham players were woken up twice by fireworks set off by Marseille fans in the early hours of the morning – disrupting them ahead of their crucial Champions League match