French league president Frederic Thiriez has congratulated Marseille for their response to the crowd trouble which marred their recent draw with Lyon.

The game had to be stopped for more than 20 minutes in the second half after home fans threw objects including glass bottles on to the field, with their side trailing 1-0.

They returned after the delay to equalise through Karim Rekik, but the incidents resulted in the closure of the stands behind the goals at the Stade Velodrome for September 27’s match against Angers, which OM lost 2-1.

The club also reintroduced protective netting in front of the stands, but it is Tuesday night’s development, when the club agreed an end to an unusual arrangement which saw tickets for those stands sold by supporters’ groups rather than directly by the club, which drew praise from Thiriez.

“What has happened at Marseille is a real revolution for the better,” Thiriez said.

“I want to congratulate (president) Vincent Labrune and the supporters’ groups for the agreement they have found. It proves that people in football can work together when there is a problem.

“In France we often have to go through crises and dramas so that things improve. The important thing is that they improve.”

Secretary of State for Sport Thierry Braillard was notably less fulsome in his reaction, however.

“I find it normal that when people go to see a match, it is the home team which sells the tickets,” he said in a brief statement yesterday.

That has not been the case in the affected areas of Stade Velodrome since former club president Bernard Tapie introduced the innovative system in 1990.

Eight supporters’ groups – Club des Amis de l’OM, Club Central des Supporters, Dodger’s Marseille, Fanatics, Marseille Trop Puissant, South Winners, Ultras Marseille and Yankee Nord Marseille – were allowed to buy tickets at a reduced rate and sell them on to fans.

The scheme was credited with increasing the Stade Velodrome’s atmosphere through organised chanting and pre-match displays.