A week after excesses during the derby between the teams of Lens and Lille on Saturday, the Racing Club de Lens (RCL) imposed heavy penalties on Friday 24 September on some of its supporters, going so far as to pronounce stadium bans eighteen months.
“The sanctions range from nine to thirty-six months of stadium ban, mixing the firm (eighteen months maximum) with the suspension. In some cases, these bans will be accompanied by a complaint if violent behavior is suspected ”, announced Arnaud Pouille, Director General of RCL at a press conference. The club is thus uncompromising towards “All identified persons who would have entered the field”, at half-time in the derby against Lille, finally won 1 to 0.
On the sidelines of the Salon Sport Unlimitech, the Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, welcomed “The decision of the president of Lens (…) If we need to tighten up administrative or legal procedures, we will do it ”, she also said. To date, seventeen supporters have been identified, out of more than a hundred who left the Marek stand. Mr. Pouille, however, also vilified the parking lot of the LOSC, where “80 seats were torn off, fractured” and the “Devastated toilets”. He lamented “Images that we had rarely seen”, considering that “These facts are more hooliganism than“ supporterism ”. “
“The supporters accept any form of condemnation of violence. The hardest part was to make them understand that they did not have to enter the field in reaction to what they saw. The field is sacred ”, insisted the number two of the Lensois club.
2 million deadweight loss with the camera
The economic consequences are significant for the club, with some 30,000 euros in repairs and 100,000 euros of investment planned to reorganize the visitor parking lot. “As long as we have not acted at this level, the bottom of the parking lot will be closed”, finally clarified the club. To this sum is added 2 million euros of net loss for the receptions behind closed doors of Strasbourg (0-1) and Reims (1er October), after the sanction imposed as a precaution by the disciplinary committee of the LFP, pending the examination of the case. The final decisions will be known on October 6.
During the overflows, two spectators were arrested. One of them, a 26-year-old Lille supporter, appeared on Monday for “violence against a person holding public authority” with “weapon by destination”, namely “A seat torn off”. The hearing was postponed until October 18, and the man was released under judicial supervision. In parallel, “Several investigations were carried out following the events”, one “For acts of incitement to hatred and exhibition of racist or xenophobic signs”, had specified the parquet floor of Béthune Wednesday.
Shaken by the outbursts of supporters, the French championship hopes for a return to calm and play during the 8e day this weekend, when Paris-Saint-Germain receives the Montpellier team on Saturday, before the reception of Lens by Marseille on Sunday.