Neal Maupay subject of abusive banner as Nice vs Marseille stopped over chanting

The on-loan Everton man was subject to abuse from Nice supporters during an ill-tempered clash with Marseille

Nice fans unveil a banner which reads “Maupay has gone from a child of the club to a child of a whore” during the match with Marseille at the Allianz Riviera Stadium(Image: FREDERIC DIDES/AFP via Getty Images)

Neal Maupay was subject to swathes of abuse from Nice supporters on Sunday night. The Marseille striker, on loan from Everton, played in a 2-0 loss in Ligue 1.

The 28-year-old caused a stir in the summer when he opted to join Marseille instead of their domestic rivals. Maupay started his career at Nice and were said to be keen on signing him again this season.

It would be fair to say the supporters at the Allianz Riviera Stadium have not forgotten what they consider to be a betrayal from their former forward too. As relayed by Get French Football News, during the game on Sunday night numerous chants were directed towards Maupay and his mother.

The match was also suspended briefly in the first half, with an announcement broadcast inside the stadium to ask the Nice supporters to stop homophobic chanting.

A banner was also unfurled reading: “Maupay – you’ve gone from a son of the club to a son of a b*tch.”

Another banner read “the sun is setting on the city of Nice…let the rat hunt begin” and sparked an angry reaction online from the mayor of Marseille, Benoit Payan. “Racist remarks are not tolerable in a stadium…I ask the Ligue de Football Professionnel not to let this happen,” he said.

Maupay scored against Marseille against Nice earlier in the campaign and celebrated. However, on Sunday he was hooked after an hour.

The striker is on loan from the Blues and is set to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season. Maupay has long burned his bridges with Everton though, having aimed a number of digs at the club on social media in recent months.

In December after Everton lost to Nottingham Forest, he tweeted “whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile.”

The Frenchman will go down as one of the worst signings of the Premier League era for the Blues, as he scored just one goal in 32 appearances for the club after a £15m switch from Brighton & Hove Albion.