Scandalized politicians calling for measures, urgent meeting of the disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League (LFP): it’s time to take stock after the incidents during the Lyon-Marseille match, Sunday evening, umpteenth episode of overflows in the stands this season in the championship. ” It is unacceptable. It is intolerable that we can attack the players in the game by attacking them in this way ”, reacted the Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, in a statement to the press, after a tweet saying that this type of“Acts” had to involve at least “The stop” matches.
The Marseillais Dimitri Payet was hit on Sunday evening in the face by a bottle thrown by a supporter of the Olympique Lyonnais (OL), which resulted in the end of the match after an imbroglio of more than two hours between the leaders of the two clubs , the arbitrator, the LFP and the prefecture of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Of the four people arrested after the kick-off, two men were still in police custody Monday morning in Lyon, according to police sources: the alleged author of the jet, aged 32, for “violence with a weapon by destination in a sports arena ”; the other, aged 17, for using smoke.
Many incidents of the same type have erupted in Ligue 1 stadiums since the start of the season. “The League will certainly have to clarify its regulations so that such an act of aggression on a player in the game results in an automatic stoppage of the match”, said the minister in her statement. “Without immediate and radical awareness of the clubs to guarantee safety on the lawn and in the stands, we are going into the wall”, she added. As after the incidents at the start of the season, she said to herself “In favor of individual sanctions”.
“Let the referees have free rein”
“Everyone must understand that it is the survival of French football that is at stake, its economic model (…), added the minister on FranceInfo, Monday morning. It’s a world where there are millions of euros at stake. “ The minister also wished for a modification of the regulations, “So that the referees have free rein” : ” It’s necessary [l’arbitre] know what he can or cannot do ”, regretting that it is not “Not marked black on white” that he must stop a match after a projectile throw.
Other politicians were outraged by Sunday’s incident. “These are acts which shame sport and the values which are those of sport”, lamented on France 2 the deputy president of the group La République en Marche to the National Assembly, Aurore Bergé, claiming that “The clubs themselves make their arrangements” with “Extremely firm measures”.
Xavier Bertrand, candidate for the nomination of the Republicans (LR) for the presidential election of 2022, also demanded ” Sanctions “. “We cannot have the drift in France of this formidable sport, so popular, as we were able to know in England at one time. [Les Britanniques] took action, and today order is back ”, said the president of the Hauts-de-France region. “It’s lousy of the supporters to do that” and “We cannot accept such violence”, denounced on CNews another candidate for the LR nomination, Valérie Pécresse.
Hit hard for example?
The disciplinary committee of the LFP must meet urgently on Monday. There is the question of penalties, which could be heavy, as the season has already been punctuated by incidents. In August, serious overflows during Nice-Marseille, which had already started with throwing bottles targeting Dimitri Payet, had been sanctioned with a withdrawal of one point (plus one suspended sentence) and three games behind closed doors for the Nice. Olympique de Marseille (OM) is also under the threat of a withdrawal of one point, the disciplinary committee having imposed a suspension after degradations committed by Marseille supporters at the Raymond-Kopa stadium, in Angers, in September .
Tuesday, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, that of national education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, and Mr.me Maracineanu will meet with French football authorities to see ” what to do “ after the incidents that occurred on Sunday evening, the sports ministry announced to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The meeting will take place at Place Beauvau, notably with the LFP and the French Football Federation (FFF).
The LFP could be tempted to strike hard, for example. But, despite the declarations of intent, it remains unclear what measures to take. At the end of October, the government promised the LFP “Coordinated actions” and an “Strong response” in the face of these incidents. However, on Sunday evening, club leaders, the LFP, the referee and the prefecture again publicly passed the buck.
Football: a start to the season regularly marked by violence from supporters
The stoppage of the Lyon-Marseille match on Sunday, November 2 after four minutes of play and a bottle throw at Marseille player Dimitri Payet is the sixth “incident” of the Football League season that led to the interruption or the final cessation of matches, following ground invasion and clashes between supporters.
August 8, Montpellier-Marseille (1D daytime)
A spectacular derby on the lawn (3-2 victory for OM), much less in the spans, with a bottle throw in the direction of the Marseillais Valentin Rongier, hit in the head. The match will finally resume after more than ten minutes of interruption. The Professional Football League (LFP) decides, on August 25, to close the Corbière and Etang-de-Thau stands for three matches.
August 22, Nice-Marseille (3e daytime)
Dimitri Payet receives a bottle in the back when taking a corner. The Marseillais responds by returning the projectile in the direction of the ultras of Nice, igniting the powder with, this time, an invasion of the ground. The meeting is stopped before being replayed on October 27, in Troyes, in an empty stadium. OGC Nice is given two withdrawal points, including a suspended sentence and a total closed session at home for three matches.
September 18, Lens-Lille (6e daytime)
At half-time for the North derby, dozens of Lensois supporters invade the lawn to do battle with the Lille yard, from which several seats were thrown. The clashes left six lightly injured. Sanction: one point suspended for both clubs, two games behind closed doors for Lens, travel ban for Lille supporters until the end of 2021.
September 22: Angers-Marseille (7e daytime)
Several dozen Marseille supporters come out of their yard to destroy equipment before the intervention of the stewards, when the meeting was over. Sanction: one point suspended for OM.
October 22: Saint-Etienne – Angers (11e daytime)
Ultras from Saint-Etienne entered the lawn, attacking the goal nets. A messed up pre-match protocol that resulted in a postponement of more than an hour of the kick-off. AS Saint-Etienne was condemned to a total closed session with, as a bonus, the closure of two stands for two matches.