Dimitri Payet at center of huge fight with fans in Ligue 1 matchup (Video)

A Ligue 1 match between Marseille and Nice turned ugly when a fan threw a bottle at Dimitri Payet and his response sparked a pitch invasion.

The return of fans to stadiums for sporting events worldwide has been largely awesome. Unfortunately, ugly behavior has also made its way back into the stands.

On Sunday, a match between Marseille and Nice in Ligue 1 was suspended after an all-out brawl spilled onto the pitch with Dimitri Payet at the center.

The scenes were just ugly.

https://twitter.com/FootballlForAll/status/1429540688916529155?s=20

In the second half of the game, Payet was setting up to take a corner when Nice fans threw plastic bottles at him. He picked one up and threw it back into the crowd. That’s when things boiled over.

Fans pelted Dimitri Payet with bottles throughout the match

According to James Nalton, fans had been throwing bottles at Payet every time he took a corner during the game. This time, one hit him, sparking the greater conflict.

This one isn’t on Payet. The fans bear responsibility for their actions. Under no circumstances should they have been allowed to throw bottles onto the pitch in the first place. Match officials should have addressed that behavior from the start. It was bound to get out of hand.

Could Payet have handled the situation better? Sure. The best thing he could have done is gone to the referee and had him deal with the fans. Still, he should never have been in the situation in the first place. No player should have to put up with that. The player could do better. The fans must do better.

Payet came up through League 1 but really broke out as a star for West Ham from 2015 to 2017 in the Premier League. He’s been back at Marseille since 2017.