French soccer Sunday plunged right into a contemporary wave of chaos and violence because the match between Marseille and Lyon was abruptly known as off.
The catalyst for this unprecedented choice? The visiting group’s bus was mercilessly bombarded with stones and beer bottles, inflicting extreme accidents to Lyon’s coach, Fabio Grosso.
This incident is simply the newest in a string of violent outbursts which have been rocking Ligue 1.
It is a bitter reminder of the turmoil that marred the league two years in the past when a number of acts of violence and crowd disturbances made headlines.
The chaos unfolded proper exterior the enduring Stade Velodrome in Marseille, leaving the French League (LFP) with out the authority to penalize the house group.
This incident couldn’t have come at a worse time for the LFP, as they have been within the midst of negotiating a vital TV rights deal for the interval from 2024 to 2029.
The tender was set to conclude on Thursday, and the violent scenes in Marseille forged an unflattering shadow lower than a 12 months earlier than the Paris 2024 Olympics.
It is value noting that some preliminary Olympic matches are slated to happen in Marseille, a metropolis with a infamous historical past of fan violence.
Memories of the 1998 World Cup, when England followers clashed with French police on this very metropolis, nonetheless linger within the collective consciousness.
“OL regrets that this type of situation recurs every year in Marseille and calls on the authorities to assess the seriousness and repetition of this type of incident before an even more serious tragedy occurs,” Lyon lamented in a press release, vowing to file a proper authorized criticism.
Marseille’s president, Pablo Longoria, was visibly outraged by the incident, stating: “What happened to Fabio Grosso is totally unacceptable. This is something that cannot happen in football. Even if it happened outside of the stadium, it is unacceptable. I am angry and appalled by the situation.”
France’s sports activities minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, additionally weighed in, declaring, “These unacceptable acts deny the very values of football and sport, and the perpetrators must all be found and severely punished.” She revealed that seven suspects had been apprehended on Sunday night time.
This is not the primary time Marseille has been within the highlight for such incidents. Similar incidents have been reported in 2016 and 2019 when the away group’s bus was focused. The newest episode comes on the heels of fan bother that marred the 2021-2022 season.
During that season, Nice was penalized with a two-point deduction, and considered one of their gamers, or maybe extra precisely described as followers, was suspended.
The sanctions got here after severe incidents throughout their sport in opposition to Marseille, which noticed visiting gamers conflict with dwelling followers who pelted them with missiles and even stormed onto the pitch.
The bother was not restricted to simply that match.
The northern derby between Lens and Lille was additionally tainted by crowd issues.
The begin of the second half was delayed after rival followers threw objects at one another, and, to the astonishment of onlookers, some people ran onto the pitch.
Riot police and stewards needed to intervene to revive order.
In the 2021-2022 season, we witnessed crowd disturbances in a number of different places, together with Montpellier, Angers, Marseille and Etienne.
The alarming frequency of such incidents is a trigger for concern and calls for a complete response from authorities to make sure the protection and integrity of the game.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
