The 36-year-old, named as a substitute for the Ligue 1 side's fixture away to Vitoria, was sent off before the game got underway for an "altercation with supporters", according to a live text commentary on the Marseille website.

Video footage showed Evra appearing to aim a kick at one of the club's fans as players and supporters, who had seemingly scaled barriers to reach the advertising hoardings at the Estadio D Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes, confronted each other at the side of the pitch.

Patrice Evra (right) is ushered away after a confrontation with fans

Evra was then was ushered away by a team-mate.

According to a report in L'Equipe, he was reacting to taunts directed at him, but Marseille coach Rudi Garcia says Evra should have kept his cool in the situation.

"Pat has experience, and he must not react, it's obvious," said Garcia.

"Patrice is a more than just an experienced player. You can't respond, of course, to insults as bad as they are and as incredible as they might be because they come from one of our supporters.

"He must learn to keep his cool. That's all I can say."