AS Saint-Etienne : a major player in one of the biggest clashes between the two clubs has died | ASSE News

The sad news is only known today but the facts happened last Sunday: former international referee Roger Machin died at the age of 94. The team, which revealed the information this evening, recalls that the international whistle had notably officiated during the 1970 World Cup, during which King Pelé had offered him a jersey, or during the first leg of the Cup. Intercontinental 1969 between AC Milan and Estudiantes La Plata (3-0). High feats of arms, of course, but the name of Roger Machin remains above all linked to a legendary OM-ASSE.

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An episode that led to the creation of But!

This happened on August 27, 1969 at the Stade Vélodrome. The big night crowd (44,813 spectators) took place in the Boulevard Michelet enclosure to witness the clash between the Greens, champions of France since 1967 – and who would win a fourth consecutive title that season – and very ambitious Marseillais led by their volcanic president Marcel Leclerc. There were so many people that supporters were seated all around the pitch. It was going to be important …

OM opened the brand with Charly Loubet in the 20th minute in the delirium that we imagine. But the Greens conditioned the Vélodrome in two minutes by Salif Keita and Jean-Michel Larqué (38th and 40th). In the 48th, Loubert equalized but barely enough time to restore order around the field that Keita scored a third goal for ASSE (50th). And then, in the 75th, Jean Djorkaeff equalized once again for OM. At least the 44,813 supporters thought so. But Roger Machin canceled this achievement for an offside by Joseph Bonnel. The crowd, at first delirious, turned to anger. She invaded the field and tried to attack the referee. The match was interrupted in the 75th minute, the police failing to restore order and the final score confirmed.

But Marcel Leclerc did not stop there. Furious that national reviews like L’Equipe and France Football condemn the excesses of the Marseille public without giving more importance to the fact of the game that led to this, he decided to create his own magazine, the newspaper But !, ancestor of this site. . The first one was devoted to this match, trying to demonstrate that Bonnel was not offside. Photos taken on a television screen showing the match (in black and white!) Were printed. We see nothing and very clever who can recognize the Marseille attacking midfielder. It was in any case one of the greatest OM-ASSE in history and Roger Machin had been one of the major players …