Interview by Cyrille de La Morinerie and Lionel Rosso, edited by Gauthier Delomez
, modified to
6:27 p.m., January 22, 2022
“This is a question that touches me personally because we have tried everything,” breathes Sepp Blatter. In an exclusive interview with Europe 1, the former Fifa leader gives his point of view on the violence in football stadiums, which has caused trouble several times this season in the French championship. “There is violence that has entered the stadiums again. We have taken very strong decisions, but we are not applying them”, he regrets on the show. Europe 1 Sports.
Matches without spectators “are useless”
If for Sepp Blatter, “the responsibility always belongs to the organizer of the match, the league or the federation which organizes (the competition)”, it is necessary to “crack down” when there are overflows. And the former president of Fifa to sweep away the closed-door measures decided for one or two matches, or the monetary fines, which “are useless”.
“There is only one solution”, continues Sepp Blatter, “it is to give up or reduce a certain number of points when a club is responsible for its safety, or to eliminate it directly in a competition of Cup”. This last sanction had also been taken against Olympique Lyonnais and Paris FC after violence that occurred in the stands during the 32nd final of the Coupe de France, at the end of December 2021.
Make the club responsible for its supporters
For championship matches, Sepp Blatter also highlights the sporting sanction. “You have to take at least six or nine points” from the club concerned, says the former Swiss leader. “I assure you that if we start with that, people in the stadiums will understand,” he adds, pointing to a “crazy, mean” world. To have “order in a football match”, the club, which is the organizer, “must be aware of this and then crack down”, continues the ex-businessman.
And Sepp Blatter to support: “It is useless to say that the next three matches of a club will be played without spectators”. “If we take away nine points, and if we look at the standings, then the club will see the problem, and the other (clubs) will think about it, but we’re not doing it,” concludes the former FIFA president.