Almost a month after the incidents during the Lyon-Marseille match, in which OM player Dimitri Payet was hit in the head by a bottle throw, the government and French football players have returned their copy .
Three weeks after a first meeting, several measures were announced from the Interior Ministry on Thursday, December 16. Here’s what to remember from government announcements.
Better enforcement of stadium bans
It was one of the subjects at the heart of the debate. On Thursday, the Interior Ministry first recalled the existence of the various types of stadium bans: administrative, judicial and commercial. “The existing system, both legislative and regulatory, was deemed sufficient. All the players, on the other hand, wanted it to be better applied “, is it written in the press release.
Thus, a reminder will be made, “immediately”, to the authorities. According to the texts already in force, the authorities have at their disposal the systematization of scoring obligations, the need for registration in the wanted persons file (FPR) or even the increased sharing of information with and between clubs and federations.
In my name and that of @jmblanquer, thank you to my colleagues @GDarmanin @E_DupondM to instances @FFF and @LFPfr as well as to clubs and groups of supporters for their mobilization alongside @Sports_gouv and @education_gouv To advance
3/3 pic.twitter.com/KrXyDFryLk– Roxana Maracineanu (@RoxaMaracineanu) December 16, 2021
A novelty is however to be noted, the introduction of a fine. “AT medium term, consideration will be given to the creation of a fixed tort fine (AFD), that is to say a penal sanction which is pronounced, outside of a trial, by a police officer, a gendarme or an agent authorized public which notices an infringement “, indicates the press release.
The purpose of this sanction is to sanction “offenses provided for by article 332-8 of the Sports Code: the introduction, possession and use of rockets or fireworks of any kind in a sports arena”. This fine will be a sum of money to be paid to the Public Treasury. The establishment a nominative ticket office in the clubs is also on the table. A working group will deliver its conclusions within six months. These measures thus reflect the authorities’ desire to prioritize individual sanctions rather than collective sanctions such as closed doors or travel bans.
Plastic bottles banned, protective nets popular
Another decision taken: securing the stadiums. “The sale and carrying of plastic bottles will now be entirely prohibited inside the stadiums, no later than July 1, 2022. The clubs have the possibility of putting in
place this ban as soon as possible “, announces the press release. The French Football Federation (FFF) clarified that this measure would be applied from the next match of the French teams.
An audit will also be launched by the Professional Football League “on all football stadium video protection systems whose validity has expired, with the aim of gradually raising these systems towards the best quality standards”, is it still written. Video systems are considered “essential for the detection and identification of troublemakers”.
Finally, another more targeted measure towards the launching of projectiles. “A regulatory obligation towards the clubs will be integrated into the regulations of the Professional Football League so that anti-projection (eg: nets) and anti-intrusion safety devices are put in place and, on the recommendations of the prefects, can be used during an encounter”, underlines this same press release. This measure will be applied on a case-by-case basis and concerns all clubs playing in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Regarding the human system security in the stadiums, no concrete announcement has been made, but this subject should integrate the Ioi of global security, currently carried by the Ministry of the Interior.
Half an hour to manage a crisis
If new incidents should occur, and a referee or a player is physically injured by a projectile coming from the stands, all the players have agreed that “the match would be systematically and definitively interrupted”. A crisis unit, a new format, has also been adopted. This will take place without the club presidents and will have to end with a decision taken in a maximum delay of 30 minutes following the onset of the seizure, in order to “communicate it to the general public and the media ” within this period.
It is also specified that this crisis unit will include a “clear distribution of powers between the referee and the police authority in the interruption of matches”, without specifying the concrete outlines.
More prevention in the stages
Last axis, that of prevention. The government wants to emphasize prevention messages, in particular with a reminder of the penalties incurred written on tickets and projected on screens in stadiums, as well as the development of a communication and prevention campaign on violence in stadiums.
A coordination unit has finally been set up tomonitor the introduction of these new measures as well as anticipate “new developments in the face of the challenges that will emerge”. “It will bring together, every month, the actors who participated in the working groups, and will bring together supporters twice a year. The results of the work will be presented at the end of the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 season “, concluded the press release.