Marseille fans let off fireworks to wake up Tottenham stars ahead of Champions League clash

Tottenham players were awakened twice in the early hours of Tuesday by lavish fireworks displays outside their Marseille hotel ahead of a crucial Champions League game.

Marseille fans took aim at the luxury hotel where the Spurs party, which included boss Antonio Conte and England captain Harry Kane, stayed in the French city with two separate long and loud explosions of rockets and streamers.

It was a night when hundreds of revelers took to the streets around the harbor to celebrate Halloween, but this was considered a deliberate attempt to disrupt the team, a popular tactic among fans in some parts of the world.

Tottenham players were awakened twice by fireworks set off by Marseille fans in the early morning hours, disrupting them ahead of their crucial Champions League match

It was not the ideal preparation for Tottenham for their clash with Marseille on Tuesday

It is believed that the fireworks were set off at 1.30 am and again at 4.30 am.

Italian publication Corriere dello Railt reported that Tottenham held an emergency meeting at 10.30am to ensure the safety of the players for tonight’s game.

Conte’s side is expected to be welcomed by a typically hostile atmosphere in Marseille tonight, with all to play for in Tottenham’s group.

The Spurs need just a point against Marseille at the Stade Velodrome on Tuesday to guarantee a place in the top two of Champions League Group D and qualify for the knockout rounds next year.

Marseille must win to qualify, a result that would knock Conte’s team out of the competition and dump them into the Europa League.

Spurs ‘held an emergency meeting to ensure player safety’ ahead of tonight’s game

Tottenham are expected to be welcomed by a hostile atmosphere in the important clash

There are just two points between Tottenham, who are on top, and Marseille in fourth place, with Sporting Lisbon hosting Eintracht Frankfurt in the other game in the group.

A tweet on social media suggested the club was staying at the Best Western Hotel in Sausset-les-Pins – about 40 miles from the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.

The tweet read: ‘According to a friend who works in a hotel near Marseille, the TOTTENHAM players at the Best Western Hotel Paradou in Sausset are Les pins!! Make some noise for those who can’t come to keep them from sleeping.’

The Spurs are without manager Conte after being given a one-game suspension on the sidelines after being sent off in a draw against Sporting Lisbon last week.

Conte was furious that a Kane injury time winner, who had secured Tottenham’s qualification, was ruled out by VAR for offside.

The Italian is allowed to enter the stadium, but not in the dressing room, tunnel or technical room and cannot communicate directly with the players.

Spurs will hope the controversial decision at the end of last week’s game won’t bite them – which could be the case if they lose tonight.

A tweet on social media suggested the players were staying at a Best Western hotel 25 miles from the Stade Velodrome in Sausset-les-Pins.

Tottenham are sidelined without Antonio Conte after his red card last week

French publication L’Equipe have since reported that Tottenham fans who made the journey to Marseille will not be able to access the city center on Tuesday.

About 2,000 Spurs fans are expected in Marseille on Tuesday and a decree from the Bouches-du Rhône police has banned ‘anyone who claimed to be a Tottenham supporter or behave as such’ from moving in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th subsection of Marseille.

The ban was imposed on Monday afternoon to avoid the possibility of conflict between the two groups of fans.

Tottenham fans will be escorted to the Velodrome in coaches and buses under the supervision of local police. Away fans are also advised not to be near the stadium without a police escort between 10 a.m. and midnight on Tuesday.

Conte was sent off after Harry Kane’s winner was disallowed against Sporting Lisbon last week