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However, later in the game, Marseille fans unveiled a flag of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), much to the anger of the visiting Turks. Fenerbahçe fans started chanting slogans condemning the PKK and attacked the group bearing the flag, leading the police to intervene for a second time. Another minor fight broke when French fans unveiled a Greek flag to make the Turks angry.
Football across Europe has been marred by violence once again, with politics seemingly exacting a toll on the game and the fans that is heavier than ever.
A game in the Europa League were overshadowed by off-the-pitch incidents, with fans of Marseille and Fenerbahçe clashing over a flag feud. Purely political motivations might not have fueled the fight, but political issues took center stage.
At the Velodrome Stadium in Marseille, the first encounter between the two groups happened after Fenerbahçe took the lead with a goal from Bekir İrtegün in the game’s 40th minute. Host Marseille’s fans then attacked Fenerbahçe fans, with police intervening to keep the crowd from stampeding.