Olympique de Marseille is the only top-level football club in Marseille, and its support is rabid and unswerving; you could even go so far as to call it religious devotion.
Upon arriving in the city, there is no escaping it. You will see it emblazoned on chests, sprayed up on walls, on cars, in adverts that resemble shrines, private supporter clubs, and even in the windows of local stores: OM, everywhere.
Marseille comes to a standstill when their team plays, as you either go to the match or sit in the bar and watch it. With friends, your partner, or whomever it may be, the excitement is infectious. When the game is on, the crowds will grow, but if you are in the city and get tickets, you should take a walk from the center of town up to the Velodrome, OM’s impressive 67,000-capacity stadium, where you clamber up the steps to a football experience unlike any other.
It is here that the city of Marseille – the underdog, constantly considered a rebel city by the French media, and a true melting pot, where Northern Italy, the island of Corsica, and North and Sub-Saharan Africa meet on the streets and in cross-cultural attitudes – becomes one. In the stands, there is no doubt that no matter your color or creed, you are a Marseille fan first.
No matter your social status, in pearly white and heady sky blue, you join with others to support what you love to the death. The Velodrome stadium is a temple of this pride and radical togetherness. The whistling, the smoke, the chants, and the flares serve as fierce warnings to others, declaring, “We defend who we are, and we will be seen.”
Things to Know Before You Go
Tickets and Seating
Purchasing tickets is a painless affair on the official club site. Ideally, request seats around the halfway line, in either of the stands that run alongside the pitch. The fierce Ultra supporters position themselves behind each goal; therefore, for your first experience, it’s best to be seated and central as fans’ cries fill the air to deafening levels, with smoke and light from the flares widening your eyes.
Timing and Concessions
The stands begin to fill one or two hours before kickoff, with fans arriving early to soak in the atmosphere. You can buy beer and pizza in the stadium while taking in the vast space, filled only with booming voices and the team’s colors.
Ambiance
Every week, the Ultra fans meet and organize enormous banners to be held aloft inside the arena, known as tifos or tifosi. A visual display choreographed in the stands, each tifo is a one-off spectacle never to be repeated; you’ll struggle to find a better sight in European football.
Meanwhile, the fans bellow out their famous chants – chants you could learn before you arrive:
“Nous sommes les Marseillais! Et nous allons gagner!”
(“We are the Marseillais! And we will win!”)
As the players stretch and warm up before the game, you will hear the cheers of allegiance that greet the hometown heroes and the intimidating whistling and jeers for the opposition team.
In a recent game, North London’s Tottenham Hotspur visited to play in the Champions League. The atmosphere was electrifying when goalkeeper Hugo Lloris came out to warm up before kickoff. Describing it later as a “psychological battle,” he recognized Marseille as a “special place,” a term underscoring its intimidating nature for outsiders.
The Details
When to Go
The French football season begins in August and ends in May. Games are held in the league almost every weekend, played both home and away, along with midweek cup games. The fixtures to look out for include matches against fierce rivals like Nice, Lyon, and, of course, Paris Saint-Germain.
Costs and Expenses
In comparison to the Premier League in England, the prices are very affordable – sometimes as low as €15. Refreshments and snacks offered in the stadium are also reasonably priced. The club understands that the loyalty of its fans is crucial; hence, it maintains an arena accessible to the people: in a city grappling with unemployment and challenges, football remains a cherished pastime for all.
Keep It Going
After (and before) the match, you will find many bars outside the stadium for celebrating a great victory or commiserating as you follow the crowd. A great spot is the Vieux Port, where many fans who did not attend the match will have watched it on giant LED screens. Various pubs cater to English and Irish fans, displaying colors of numerous European teams.
These establishments will continue serving drinks into the night in the center of town. The local drink of Marseille is pastis: an aniseed spirit served with water and an ice cube. At once heady and refreshing, it’s as much a symbol of the city as anything else could be.
Take It Home
Before you take your seat above the gleaming green turf, make sure to visit the club shop in the Vieux Port. Purchase a club jersey or a reasonably priced white-and-sky-blue scarf. Hardcore fans commonly wear them tied around one wrist or waist, but a scarf around the neck will also do.
How to Prepare
By the time you travel to Marseille to enjoy the sun and make your way to the stadium, your love affair should already have begun, with hopes and fears entwined with one of the most important football clubs in Europe.
To prepare, start watching the matches on television before you go, becoming familiar with the players and following the results in the sports sections of newspapers and opinion magazines. For more insights into the club’s culture, explore podcasts and various blogs that analyze what it means to support the team.
Grasping the fans’ energy will help you understand a uniquely complex and historical city even before you arrive to attend a match in person. This experience is one you’ll find impossible to forget.
