bottle spray on Dimitri Payet, game behind closed doors … What you need to know before the decision of the LFP disciplinary committee

Three weeks after the incidents that occurred during the Ligue 1 Lyon-Marseille match, it is time for sanctions. Wednesday December 8, the disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League (LFP) meets at the end of the day to discuss the follow-up to be given to this affair.

This commission, which opened an investigation, will rule on the responsibility of Olympique Lyonnais in these incidents and on the fate of the interrupted match. Before the decision is rendered, take a look back at the highlights of the case.

The incidents of Sunday, November 21

Sunday November 21, Olympique Lyonnais receives Olympique de Marseille on behalf of the 14th day of Ligue 1, at Groupama Stadium. But after only three minutes of play, the match was interrupted. In question, new incidents.

Marseillais Dimitri Payet, who came to take a corner, was hit in the head by a bottle of water thrown from the stands. After the player has been taken over by the medical team and the meeting’s temporary stoppage, Marseille and Lyon leaders meet around the referee, the representative of the LFP and the State services to make a decision on the follow-up to this match.

Firstly, the stadium announcer announces the resumption of the meeting, stressing that at the slightest incident, the game will be definitively interrupted. If the Lyonnais enter the lawn again, the Marseillais refuse to resume the match. Finally, near two hours after the events, the announcer ends up announcing the final end of the match.

Jean-Michel Aulas disputes the stoppage of the match, blames OM and the referee who defends himself

Once the decision has been taken to definitively stop the match, OL president Jean-Michel Aulas spoke at Amazon Prime, in order to clearly state his disagreement. “Believe me the match could resume without a problem”, he tackled after the end of the meeting, repeating that it was a “isolated act”. “There was no risk of further throwing of projectiles, with guards in place, and the perpetrator was apprehended.”

This final stop of the meeting even surprised him. “We had imagined with the prefect that the match could resume, the referee had decided so before the prosecutor, the DDSP (departmental director of public security). And when he returned to announce to the players, there was a violent reaction from Marseille who demanded that Mr. Buquet (the main arbiter) go ask for news of Dimitri “, he explained hot.

“We are devastated by what happened, the doctor told me: ‘More fear than harm’. We apologize. There was such a movement of violence that Mr. Buquet asked to see the prefect again. and reversed its decision. It is incomprehensible “, continued Mr. Aulas. A few minutes later, the referee, Ruddy Buquet, comes in turn to the broadcaster’s microphone (a rare thing) to affirm his position: “My sporting decision has always been not to resume the game.”

Conviction of the author of the bottle throwing and in camera for OL

The disciplinary committee of the LFP decides as a precaution, on November 22, to sanction the Rhone club with a closed-door match, against Reims, on Wednesday, December 1. A decision contested by OL, pleading a “individual and isolated act”, which cannot be compared “to the vast majority of collective incidents” which have occurred in football stadiums since the start of the season. OL’s appeal to the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) is rejected.

In addition, the author of the bottle throwing on Dimitri Payet, was sentenced Tuesday, November 23 by the criminal court to six months suspended sentence. Added to this penalty, a probation and a ban on access to the OL stadium for five years. A less severe sentence than what the prosecutor had requested against the defendant, who had asked for six months in prison.

Government seizes on issue and organizes meeting at Interior Ministry

After a season marked by seven cases of violence in the stadiums since the resumption, the government decides to intervene. Two days after the incidents in Lyon, the Professional Football League (LFP), the French Football Federation (FFF), the representatives of the referees, the players as well as those of several football clubs gathered around the table for the first time at the Ministry of the Interior.

The meeting is organized by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, accompanied by Minister of Justice Eric Dupont-Moretti, and Roxana Maracineanu, Minister responsible for Sports. If no decision has been taken following this meeting, several avenues of work are mentioned: the ban on stadiums, the security of the enclosures (in particular with video protection and nets), private security (in other words access to the stadium) and the acceleration of the decision to stop a match (how and with what responsibilities). “We agreed (…) to make proposals to the Prime Minister and the governing bodies in two weeks”, continued the Minister of the Interior.

The arbitrators’ report implicates Jean-Michel Aulas

Two days before the decision of the disciplinary committee, Jean-Michel Aulas returns to the center of attention. An arbitration report from the Lyon-Marseille meeting, which AFP was able to consult, implicates him. “The competition depends on the LFP, you on the FFF, unfortunately I am part of the Comex and it will not stop there”, he would have launched at the head referee, Ruddy Buquet, refusing to see the match stop, according to this report.

If Jean-Michel Aulas did not wish to answer questions from franceinfo: sport, a spokesperson for OL reacted to AFP: “These are incomplete remarks, taken out of context and relating to the incomprehension between the League which communicates on the resumption of the match while at the same time the referee changed position by stopping the match for reasons then not explained . “

Then the president of OL takes back control by delivering, on his Twitter account, a new idea to deal with the problems of violence in the stadiums. Jean-Michel Aulas wants to be a force of proposal: “To avoid stopping a match wrongly, we could allow clubs to replace a potentially injured player: give the possibility of staying at 11 as in the case of a concussion (6th substitute). Perhaps that could even encourage the injured to be taken back? “, he wrote on Twitter.

@OL @FFF @LFPfr To avoid stopping 1 match wrongly, clubs could be allowed to replace 1 potentially injured player: give the possibility of staying at 11 as in the case of 1 concussion (6th substitute) Maybe even that could incite the injured to resume?

– Jean-Michel AULAS (@JM_Aulas) December 6, 2021

The disciplinary committee of the LFP must now close this case, by rendering a final verdict.