Marseille owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus has expressed regret that the club are making headlines for the wrong reasons after being ordered to play their next home game in front of a half-empty stadium.
Play was held up for over 20 minutes during last Sunday's 1-1 draw with Lyon at the Stade Velodrome after some supporters hurled bottles and flares on to the pitch.
The French Football League (LFP) disciplinary commission met on Thursday and decided to order the closure of both stands behind the goals for this weekend's game against Angers at the Stade Velodrome.
The punishment is only provisional, however, as the committee ruled that a thorough investigation should take place ahead of another sitting on Oct. 15.
Club president Vincent Labrune and his Lyon counterpart Jean-Michel Aulas have also been requested to appear before the committee on that date over comments they made after last week's match.
Louis-Dreyfus, Marseille's majority shareholder, said she felt obliged to condemn the "dangerous" and "extreme behaviour" that put players, match officials and supporters at risk during the Lyon game.
"It's unacceptable that love for our club might support such actions," a statement on the club's official website read. "Our project at Olympique Marseille only has meaning if it can convey a sense of pride among those who support us and like us and can maintain a positive image for everyone else in the world."
Labrune, who earlier this week pledged to root out "maniacs" among the club's support, insisted the punishment had made the club sit up and take notice.
"A strong message has been sent to the club," Labrune told L'Equipe. "Now it's up to us to be responsible, to demonstrate in the short and medium term our ability to improve security in our stadium.
"The Velodrome should remain a place of celebration. We're going to meet our supporters on Monday. And we'll do what's necessary to make sure things change."
The president of the LFP disciplinary commission, Sebastien Deneux, told L'Equipe that the provisional sanction was necessary in view of "the extreme gravity of the facts."
An immediate penalty had been expected since Marseille had already been punished several times last season. The club were forced to play their final home game of the last campaign behind partially closed doors following similar incidents during their meeting with Paris Saint-Germain on April 5.
After fans threw objects on to the pitch during the match against Bastia in May, Marseille also had to play their opening two games at the Stade Velodrome this season, against Caen and Troyes, at a reduced-capacity stadium.
Meanwhile, Romain Alessandrini will be able to play in Marseille's upcoming game against league leaders PSG after escaping with a two-game ban in the wake of his sending off for a nasty challenge on Lyon's Mathieu Valbuena.
Sunday's game was also notable for the ugly reception that former Marseille winger Valbuena received from the home fans.
Former Marseille sporting director and manager Jose Anigo weighed in on Thursday, writing an open letter to Valbuena to tell him he was "dumbfounded" by the "idiotic hatred" shown by some of those present.
"In front of my TV, I was stunned by so much stupidity," Anigo wrote on francefootball.fr. "These maniacs made me ashamed."
He said a minority of supporters had "taken hostage" true Marseille fans.
"It really is an audience of connoisseurs and passionate fans," he said of the Stade Velodrome crowd. "But as in every community, there are always lost, black sheep.
"Yes, there is still a small segment of mindless morons who come to the stadium not to support their team but to spit their anger, their hatred, their frustrations against anyone and anything."