France on alert for football violence after Marseille fans attack visiting team
France’s sports minister condemned what she called “disgusting” violence against the Olympique Lyonnais football team that prompted organisers to cancel Sunday’s match against the Olympique de Marseille. Security around sports matches is a priority for French authorities, less than a year before the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
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"We have seen just about everything you would not want to see," Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera told France 2 television, referring to images of Lyon's coach Fabio Grosso bloodied after being hit in the face and scalp by shards of glass.
The visiting team’s bus was pelted with stones and beer bottles as it made its way to Marseille’s Stade Velodrome on Sunday.
Oudea-Castera said that fans had also been chanting homophobic and racist slurs inside the stadium.
"It was distressing, revolting, disgusting," she said.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said nine people had been detained so far.
"I hope the highest possible prison sentences will be handed to those fans that ruined the party for everyone," he said on BFM TV.
Potential sanctions on the clubs would depend on football authorities, though because the attacks happened outside the stadium, the French League (LFP) have no jurisdiction to sanction the home team.
Arch-rivals, Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille have a history of fan violence.
In a statement, the Lyon team said it “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".
"What happened to Fabio Grosso is totally unacceptable," OM president Pablo Longoria said.
"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."
Two years ago, the Ligue 1 was marred by several acts of violence and crowd troubles.
Darmanin denied that authorities had failed to prepare for the risk of violence in Marseille this weekend, and said that 500 police officers were present.
On Monday he said he was pleased with the security situation around the Rugby World Cup, which concluded on Sunday and for which he said some 13,000 security forces were deployed each day.
He said France would deploy ten times more means to ensure security around next summer’s Olympic Games.
Some preliminary round Olympic matches will be played in Marseille.
(with newswires)
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