PSG ultras take legal action against 11-year Marseille travel ban

The Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP) announced it has filed an appeal with the Conseil d’État to contest the travel ban imposed on PSG supporters ahead of the Classique OM-PSG, scheduled for this Sunday at Stade Vélodrome in the closing match of Ligue 1 Matchday 5.

An order from the Interior Ministry, published Thursday in the Official Journal, prohibits PSG fans from traveling to Marseille, citing the prevention of “serious disturbances to public order.” This measure applies symmetrically: Marseille supporters are also banned from Parc des Princes during Classiques played in the capital. The last time PSG fans were able to attend an OM-PSG at the Vélodrome was in April 2015.

“Eleven years of bans, that’s enough,” the CUP stated in a statement. The collective denounces the lack of dialogue with authorities over this period: “Six prefects have succeeded one another, without any genuine dialogue ever being established with us. Eleven years of repeated bans cannot serve as dialogue.”

The legal action marks a change in strategy for the supporter group, which now pursues a contentious approach after years of protests that went unheeded. “This time, we have decided to use all legal means at our disposal to defend our freedom of movement and our right to support our club. We are not asking for any privilege. We are simply asking that the law be respected,” the statement concludes.

On the pitch, the match will pit two struggling teams against each other. OM enters this Classique on a run of three consecutive defeats, while PSG is also going through a period of doubt. The outcome of the appeal before the Conseil d’État will not be known before Sunday’s kickoff.