Source: Daily_Mail
Marseille stand loud and proud in the Stade Velodrome
As we drove into the compound surrounding the Stade Velodrome, fans lined the streets 10 or 12 deep; standing motionless, waiting, as they glared into the windows of our bus.[LNB] The stadium built for the 1938 World Cup may owe its name to its use for football and cycling, but there is no track to separate the 60,000 fans from the action now.[LNB]Marseille 0 Man United 0: Read Chris Wheeler's match report[LNB] Warm welcome: The players walk out for the start of the game[LNB] Instead, they are part of it; their deafening whistles charting every mistake and moment of brilliance, however fleeting in last night's turgid encounter.[LNB] There is only a roof on one of the stadium's four stands, named after Olympic athlete Jean Bouin, but the constant noise is almost claustrophobic, littered with passion.[LNB] The Velodrome's simple, fourleaf clover shape suggests it should be welcoming. It isn't.[LNB] The 42,500 season ticket holders and nine official fan associations make it quite the opposite: as an outsider, you feel both anxious and exhilarated.[LNB] Orange banners spattered with blue and white and screaming 'Club Central des Supporters', 'South Winners', 'Club des Amis de L'OM' and 'Commando Ultra '84' dominated the Virage Sud Chevalier Roze to our right, which is named after an 18th century nobleman.[LNB] Red mist: Flares are lit in the United section[LNB] To our left, the Dodgers, Fanatics, Yankee Nord and Marseille Trop Puissant (MTP) occupied the Virage Nord De Peretti, so-called in memory of Patrice de Peretti, the founder of the MTP.[LNB] This north curve, its tiered seating stretching ominously into the cold night, was a mass of white and blue an hour before kick-off.[LNB] It had a drum at its centre and Ghanaian and Algerian flags - references to Marseille's North African immigrant population - waving proudly at its base.[LNB] When Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar jogged on to the pitch, this disparate throng found one voice.[LNB] The bellow rang out again when the United team trudged on. Frenchman Patrice Evra came in for close attention during the match. 'I think it was most of his family,' joked Sir Alex Ferguson. 'But he wasn't affected by it, so I've no complaints.'[LNB] Carl Orff's O Fortuna signalled the Marseille players' entry. They play it before Fulham's matches at Craven Cottage too, but it isn't quite the same.[LNB] Colourful: Marseille fans cheer on their team[LNB] The 3,000 United fans were pinned in the corner of the Tribune Ganay, named after the cyclist Gustave Ganay. They tried desperately to be heard.[LNB] But an attempt to throw a red flare into the home fans met only with the steel fencing.[LNB] As kick-off approached, the north curve became a box of confectionery, as fans brandished electric blue and silver pieces of foil, which reflected the floodlights. Flags saying 'On the road to Wembley' appeared in the south curve as the competition's music filled the ground.[LNB] The Stade Velodrome put on a show, all right. [LNB] Marseille 0 Manchester United 0: Fergie edges round one as makeshift United hold their own in bearpitQatari royal family will ride anti-Glazer wave to force through takeover of Manchester UnitedCantona warns of trouble ahead for United when 'Gandhi-like' Fergie retiresAll the latest Manchester United news, features and opinion[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People: Alex Ferguson, Patrice Evra, Edwin Van Der Sar Places: Manchester
