the international press evokes “a new scandal in French football”

In the aftermath of the outbursts that occurred at Groupama Stadium during the meeting between Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille on Sunday 22 April, the foreign press looks back on this umpteenth incident in Ligue 1 since the start of the season. Several German media mention “a new scandal in French football” and recall that Dimitri Payet had already been the target of a bottle throw at the start of the season, in Nice.

“They don’t learn from their mistakes“, writing Marca, from the opening of his article on the meeting between Lyon and OM. The Spanish sports daily even talks about “chaos” at Groupama Stadium, while its Madrid counterpart Ace, emphasizes that French football was once again in the spotlight “because of the ultras”. According to the daily, “What seemed to be isolated events at the start of the season have become a constant in a country that we talked about more in 2021 for these extra-sporting acts than for what was happening on the pitch”.

¡A botellazo in Payet suspends el Lyon-Marsella! ¡Cómo están en Francia! https://t.co/NtiOY672aD #League 1

– MARCA (@marca) November 21, 2021

Like the Spanish press, the Germans highlight the succession of incidents in Ligue 1. “French football continues to make headlines with unrest and abandoned matches”, note it Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The British Daily Mail recount the disagreements between the authorities and the Professional Football League, which “led to chaotic scenes, with the Lyon players returning to the pitch to warm up while their opponents remained in the locker room and the match had not yet been permanently suspended”.

Ultimately, “the most anticipated match of the 14th day of Ligue 1 lasted only four minutes”, sorry Gazzetta dello Sport. “While waiting for possible sanctions, the only sure thing is that they all lost [hier] evening”, concludes the Italian daily.