Anger continues to reverberate around French football after leading Olympique de Marseille ultra, Santos Mirasierra (pictured), was imprisoned in Spain for three-and-a-half years followingcrowd trouble whenOM met Atlético Madrid in the Champions League back in October.
The timing of the Spanish court’s ruling could barely have been any worse as Atleti are due at the Stade Vélodrome this Tuesday, and there are real fears that there could be serious trouble during the game.
Marseille head coach Eric Gerets has appealed for a sensible approach to be taken by fans of les Phocéens, for the sake of the club if nothing else.
“I have to launch an SOS because I fear that the match on Tuesday may go off badly,” the Belgian explained to Football365.
“I fear for the future of this club. Everyone knows that we will be looked at with special eyes and if there are incidents it will cost the club very, very dearly. I know the fans love this club. We must do everything in our power so that everyone stays calm.”
Support for the ultra now simply known as ‘Santos’ has been unanimous within the ranks of Marseille faithful and, indeed, within sections of other clubs’ fanbase. During Caen’s 1-1 draw with Rennes, a huge banner was unveiled behind one of the goals which stated ‘Free Santos’ – a sentiment echoed at many other grounds around France.
Santos has repeatedly denied criminal involvement during the Champions League Matchday 2 fixture, alleging that the police charged OM fans in an unprovoked manner to tear down a banner that was misinterpreted.
Meanwhile, Gerets dedicated Saturday's success against Nice to theprisoner. "This victory is dedicated to Santos," he said. "There are so many things that have been said about this boy but we must not forget that Marseille is everything to him."
Supporters of OM are not always known for their level-headedness so thereis real danger of further repercussions on Tuesday evening.
Robin Bairner, Goal.com
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