Marseille’s South Winners explain striking ‘Viva Roja’ banner honouring Spain

The South Winners, the Olympique de Marseille ultras group, have explained why they unveiled a huge “Viva Roja” display celebrating Spain before their club’s opening Ligue 1 match of the new season.

The banner dominated the south stand at the Stade Velodrome last Friday, attracting widespread attention before Marseille’s game against Strasbourg. Its message – “Long live Spain” – prompted questions among supporters and observers, who wondered why fans of a French club had chosen to celebrate Spain’s World Cup triumph.

The tribute appeared particularly unexpected because France had been eliminated from the World Cup in the semi-finals by Spain, losing that match 2-0.

Spanish media praised the gesture, but it also generated curiosity and several interpretations among French football followers. In response, Rachid Zeroual, vice-president of the ultras group, spoke to the Football Club de Marseille platform on YouTube to explain the thinking behind the display and reject speculation about its purpose.

Zeroual dismissed suggestions that the banner was intended as a message aimed at former France manager Didier Deschamps or at any other individual or organisation.

“I heard a lot of rumours about it. What happened is similar to what we saw with teams such as Senegal or Algeria when they won the Africa Cup of Nations, when they surprised everyone by producing a collective performance and playing beautiful football. Who among us does not watch the Barcelona and Real Madrid clasico? The Spanish national team produced an impressive performance and personally amazed me. Our group also includes Spanish members, and we are proud to be a 100% multicultural community,” he said.

The South Winners’ display therefore reflected their admiration for Spain’s football, according to Zeroual, rather than opposition to Deschamps or a criticism of the French national team. He also pointed to the make-up of the supporters’ group, saying its Spanish members were part of the reason the tribute was welcomed inside the stadium.

The “Viva Roja” tifo was raised before the opening fixture and covered the front of the southern stand, creating one of the most prominent images of the opening weekend. Its appearance led to considerable discussion because it connected Marseille’s supporters with a national team that had just defeated France on the World Cup stage.

On the pitch, Marseille began the new campaign in emphatic fashion. They beat Strasbourg 4-0 to move temporarily to the top of the Ligue 1 table.

Their next fixture will come against Monaco on Sunday, when Marseille play their second league match of the season.