The OL team bus as well as several fan buses were stoned. The match was canceled and all Lyon supporters were able to leave the stadium at 2:30 a.m. In total, 14 buses left under police escort.
The Ligue 1 match between Marseille and Lyon was canceled on Sunday October 29 after incidents ahead of the match at the Stade Vélodrome, when projectiles targeted the OL team bus, injuring coach Fabio Grosso, and buses of Lyon supporters, leading to nine arrests and slightly injuring five police officers, according to the Minister of the Interior on Monday October 30 on BFMTV.
According to a source close to the matter, 465 police officers, including 192 CRS, were mobilized in total for this evening, which had been classified at level 4, the highest level, by the national division for the fight against hooliganism, due to the incidents. which had punctuated previous meetings between the two clubs.
Team and fan buses stoned
At 6:45 p.m., according to the same source, when the Lyon club bus arrived near the stadium, boulevard de la Pugette. At the Olympe bar, individuals threw glass bottles at the vehicle: some windows of the bus were targeted and no longer held. They then burst into small pieces inside the passenger compartment in the colors of the Lyon club. It was at this moment that coach Fabien Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo were injured in the face by the shards of glass. According to the Marseille prosecutor’s office, contacted this Sunday October 29 by franceinfo, Fabio Grosso, injured in the face, had to receive twelve stitches, while his deputy was injured in the eye.
It was after this event that the bus entered the Vélodrome stadium and the injured Lyon players were treated by the team doctors. The players, for their part, took to the pitch to warm up.
At 7:20 p.m., two other buses of Lyon supporters were also the target of projectiles breaking windows, according to a source close to the matter. The CRS then dispersed the attackers. At 7:30 p.m., four new buses of Lyon supporters were the targets of projectiles. At 7:45 p.m., Lyon supporters got off their buses and tried to attack Marseille supporters. According to a police source, contacted by franceinfo, a CRS officer was hit on the back of the neck with a baseball bat by a Lyon supporter and lost consciousness. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.
Nine people arrested
At 8:20 p.m., the Lyon players indicated to the Professional Football League (LFP) their intention not to play the match, which was then canceled. At 8:42 p.m., André Fournel, the announcer of the Vélodrome stadium, made this announcement so feared by the 64,000 spectators present at the stadium. The match between OM and Lyon is canceled. Decision taken following a crisis meeting. The explanations of the referee of the match, François Le Texier: “We also applied the protocol in this matter which indicates that when an actor is the subject of an injury and his participation is tainted due to this physical aggression, for physical or psychological reasons moreover, the meeting must not take place”.
At 9:35 p.m., after new projectile throws by Marseille supporters at the police, the CRS used tear gas to disperse the supporters. At this time, five police officers were slightly injured.
According to a source close to the matter at franceinfo, in addition to the Lyon coach and his assistant, five Lyon supporters were injured. The Minister of the Interior on BFMTV and a source close to the matter at franceinfo indicate that nine people were arrested and placed in police custody. These nine arrested are aged between 22 and 50, according to the same source.
The public prosecutor of Marseille, contacted by franceinfo this Monday morning, specifies that some were placed in police custody for the throwing of projectiles, one person for having 27 smoke bombs in his bag, one for insulting a police officer and two for thefts near the stadium, taking advantage of the panic.
Monkey facial expressions addressed to Marseille supporters
All Lyon supporters, who were confined to the stadium, were able to leave at 2:30 a.m. In total, 14 buses left the stadium under police escort, without any incident. The prosecutor announced on Sunday October 29 that a first investigation was opened into the violence with weapons in meetings, for the stone-breaking of the bus where the Lyon players and staff were. A second investigation concerns the attack on other supporter buses.
At the same time, the Lyon supporters present in the stadium made monkey gestures and at least one Nazi salute to the attention of the Marseille public, gestures filmed on Sunday evening, in the visitors’ parking lot of the Vélodrome stadium. The Professional Football League has indicated that the actions observed will be studied by the disciplinary committee on the basis of the reports sent to it, according to The Parisian.