The new interrupted match, between Paris FC and Lyon on Friday night as part of the Coupe de France, adds to a long list of incidents in the French Championship and in French stadiums this season.
August 8: projectiles in Montpellier
First day, first incidents. The derby between Montpellier and Marseille degenerated in the stands at the end of the match. Marseillais Valentin Rongier is hit in the head by a bottle while celebrating a goal with his team. Then the match is interrupted with new throws of projectiles. After 12 minutes of confusion, it resumes and then ends with a victory for Marseille.
On August 25, the disciplinary committee of the LFP decided to close the two incriminated stands at the Montpellier stadium for three matches.
August 22: lawn invaded and brawl during Nice-OM
A new critical threshold is reached during the Mediterranean derby between Nice and Marseille. While the “Gym” led 1 to 0, clashes broke out in the 75th minute, when the Marseillais Dimitri Payet was about to take a corner. Hit on the back by a plastic water bottle, the player sends the projectile back to the tribune of Nice ultras, some of whom, in reaction, invade the lawn.
After more than an hour and a half of interruption, the meeting is definitively stopped, the Marseillais refusing to resume the game. On September 9, the disciplinary commission inflicts on OGC Nice a withdrawal of two points (including one suspended ) as well as the total closed door of his stadium for three matches. The match was replayed on October 27 in Troyes behind closed doors (1-1).
September 18: clashes during Lens-Lille
At half-time for the North derby between Lens and Lille, dozens of Lensois supporters invade the field to do battle with Lille’s parking lot, from which several seats were thrown. The clashes, limited by the intervention of the CRS, resulted in six minor injuries. Following these, the kickoff of the second period is delayed by about thirty minutes.
The two clubs received a one point withdrawal suspended. Lens was also penalized with two matches behind closed doors, while Lille saw its visitors’ parking lot closed during away matches until December 31, 2021.
September 22: “ambush” in Montpellier and clashes after Angers-OM
Before the meeting between Montpellier and Bordeaux, a bus of Bordeaux supporters fell into a “ambush” organized by some of their Montpellier counterparts. The general brawl that ensued left 16 lightly injured.
In Angers, after the match against Marseille (0-0), several dozen Marseille supporters leave the visitor park and destroy equipment before the stewards restore order. For these incidents OM had been given a suspended withdrawal point.
October 22: incidents before Saint-Etienne – Angers
The match between Saint-Etienne and Angers started one hour late at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. Incidents erupted during the pre-match protocol, several Stéphane ultras having entered the lawn and having sent rockets and other smoke and deteriorating the goal nets, which had to be hastily mended.
During the first warm-up, the kops had deployed banners stigmatizing the coach Claude Puel, the leaders and the players, guilty according to them of the chaos in which their team finds itself, last in the standings.
ASSE was sentenced to a total closed-door match (sanction served during the match against Clermont) and was forced to close two stands for two matches.
October 24: anti-LFP and smoke tifo during OM-PSG
The supporters of Olympique de Marseille sent a message that evening to the Professional Football League (LFP) before the kick-off of the match, with a huge tifo “LFP MERDA” deployed at the Stade Vélodrome. The tifo, installed on the entire North Bend of the Vélodrome, was revealed when the players entered the field. On the other side of the stadium, in the South Turn, a large number of smoke bombs were ignited.
After the meeting, Dimitri Payet deplored the throwing of projectiles from the Marseille stands. The disciplinary committee of the LFP sanctioned the Marseille club with a match behind closed doors for these incidents. In camera which will be purged during the reception in Troyes on November 28.
November 21: Payet affected, Lyon-Marseille definitively arrested
The shock of the 14th day between Lyon and Marseille was interrupted in the 4th minute of play on Sunday, after Dimitri Payet was hit on the left side of the face by a bottle of water thrown from the stands. After an announcement to the contrary, the match was finally ended about two hours after the interruption.
Lyon were inflicted with a withdrawal of one point in the standings, the match must be replayed behind closed doors. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas received a five-match suspension for comments made to the referee. As for the author of the bottle throwing, he was sentenced to six months suspended prison sentence and banned from entering the Lyon stadium for five years.
December 17: incidents in the stands, Paris FC – Lyon in turn arrested
Parisians and Lyonnais were tied at the break (1-1) when incidents broke out in the stands of the Charléty stadium: smoke bombs were launched around the Lyon parking lot. Spectators from an adjoining stand then descended on the lawn to move away from the scene of the incidents, preventing the resumption of the match, which was finally stopped about an hour later.