"Viva Roja" tifo at Vélodrome reignites cold war between South Winners and Deschamps

A tifo in Spain’s colors bearing the inscription “Viva Roja” overshadowed part of Olympique de Marseille’s commanding 4-0 victory over Strasbourg on Friday evening at Stade Vélodrome in Ligue 1’s opening matchday. Deployed by the South Winners in the Virage Sud, it was immediately interpreted on social media as a jab at Didier Deschamps and the French national team, following Spain’s World Cup triumph.

Rachid Zeroual, vice-president and historic figurehead of the South Winners, quickly spoke out to deny any hostile intent. “It wasn’t against Didier Deschamps. I heard all sorts of nonsense. Spain won the World Cup, they had stunning collective play that impressed me. In our group, we also have members of Spanish origin; we are multicultural. Don’t play on bad ideas,” he said.

His denials, however, struggle to dispel suspicion, given the historically tense relations between Zeroual and Deschamps. The former France captain managed Marseille between 2009 and 2012, and the South Winners leader had himself recounted, bluntly, a direct confrontation with the coach: “He was in a restaurant and I went there to shake him up a bit. I gave him some advice—to leave Olympique de Marseille. And he left. I made him tremble from head to toe. I told him I’d rip his head off his shoulders.”

Zeroual is also associated, in the club’s memory, with the pressure-driven departures of several Marseille presidents—Jean-Michel Roussier, Yves Marchand, and Christophe Bouchet—between 1995 and 2004. This context naturally fuels a political reading of the tifo, whatever the real intentions of its creators.

The controversy emerges as Marseille enters its season with ambition, the convincing victory over Strasbourg having provided an entirely different source of satisfaction for the 65,000 spectators present. The debate surrounding the Virage Sud risks, however, resurfacing in the coming weeks, as the question of Deschamps’ successor as France coach continues to fuel discussion.