[1][2] They lost the 1991 European Cup Final to Red Star Belgrade with two players unavailable, a circumstance which Marseille president Bernard Tapie did not want to repeat.

[3] Marseille had qualified for the 1993 UEFA Champions League Final against A.C. Milan,[1] following a 1–0 win over Club Brugge in the last match of the group stage.

[1] In his autobiography, Valenciennes player Jacques Glassmann said that captain Christophe Robert had asked him to forfeit the Marseille match the day beforehand, 19 May.

[1][4][5] In his 2006 book, Eydelie described the event: "Bernard Tapie said to us, 'It is imperative that you get in touch with your former Nantes team-mates at Valenciennes (there were two of them including Burruchaga).

In the 23rd minute, Christophe Robert was substituted due to an alleged injury after a seemingly innocuous tackle from Éric Di Meco.

[3] At half time in the match, Glassmann told Valenciennes manager Boro Primorac about the bribe.

Véniel spoke to the linesmen and Marseille captain Didier Deschamps about the allegations and noted them in his post-match report.

[8] Two weeks after the match, Robert contacted Valenciennes magistrate Éric de Montgolfier and admitted his role in the bribery scandal.

Eydelie admitted paying the bribe and he and Bernès were arrested and put in jail for "active corruption".

[9][12][15]: 74  Christophe Robert's wife Marie-Christine admitted to collecting the bribe for Eydelie[9] and was charged with conspiracy.

[17] In September, the French Football Federation (FFF) removed Marseille's French Division 1 title, and UEFA prevented Marseille from competing in the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, the 1993 European Super Cup and the 1993 Intercontinental Cup.

[27][28] Due to the bribery scandal and financial difficulties, Marseille were forcibly relegated to Division 2 for the 1994–95 season.

[42] In a 2011 ITV interview, retired Rangers footballer Mark Hateley made additional claims challenging the legitimacy of Marseille's 1992–93 UEFA Champions League win by alleging to have been offered money by Marseille to not play in the 7 April 1993 Champions League match between the two sides,[43][44] although Hateley ended up being suspended for the match after being sent off in Rangers' previous match against Club Brugge.

[46] In 2006, Eydelie alleged that prior to the 1993 Champions League final, he and other Marseille players were given suspicious injections.

[4] Red Star Belgrade goalkeeper captain Stevan Stojanović and general secretary Vladimir Cvetković—both participants in Red Star's 1991 European Cup final win against Marseille at Stadio San Nicola in Bari two seasons prior to the scandal—alleged in the Serbian print media that they had been approached by Tapie aides before the 1991 final with monetary offers in return for letting Marseille win.

Stojanović alleged he was shown an attache case containing cash in an attempt to persuade him, further adding that, upon his refusal, the same individuals turned to threats and intimidation veiled as supposedly well-intentioned advice to take the money "because [even if you don't take it] Marseille is a much better team and will win anyway at which point we'll make sure to put it out there that Red Star lost because their goalkeeper (Stojanović) took a bribe".