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Olympique Marseilles player Dimitri Payet was only hit by a bottle in August. The act is now being repeated in Lyon. This time, however, the bottle is full. The game is canceled. To the incomprehension of the hosts.
FFrance’s football continues to make headlines with unrest and abandoned matches. Olympique Lyon’s home game against Olympique Marseille had to be interrupted in the early stages on Sunday evening after the Marseille international Dimitri Payet was hit in the head by a full water bottle.
The game was finally canceled altogether after an interruption of almost two hours. The association of the French Ligue 1 (LFP) condemned the incidents in a press release “the strongest”.
The President of Olympique Lyon, Jean-Michel Aulas, apologized to Marseille and Payet. Aulas spoke of an “unacceptable attack” and wished the midfielder a speedy recovery. He also pointed out that it was a single perpetrator who had been found and handed over to the authorities. Aulas was of the opinion that the game could have continued. The LFP saw the blame on the host and local authorities.
According to the LFP announcement, Payet was also “the target of discriminatory insults”. At a time when the league was regaining its appeal, “these repeated serious incidents are destroying the image of the championship in France and internationally,” it said.
Payet was “mentally injured,” said Marseille President Pablo Longoria. “What happens is not normal. We have always condemned all forms of violence. “
Bottle hits Payet in the ear
Payet wanted to take a corner kick in the 4th minute of the game when the bottle hit the 34-year-old behind the left ear. The game was interrupted briefly before the corner because the Lyon fans had thrown objects towards the field. The referee then sent both teams into the dressing rooms.
After more than an hour and an announcement that the game would continue, the Lyon players returned to warm up on the pitch. According to media reports, there was a lack of understanding among the Marseille professionals. There was no further kick-off. The stadium announcer announced the decision of referee Ruddy Buquet via the stadium microphone when the majority of the spectators had already left. According to both clubs, the referee reversed his decision, Buquet said in an interview that he had never wanted to continue the game, but had to take several factors into account.
On August 22nd, Payet had already been thrown from a bottle. In the game at OGC Nice he was hit in the back, then he threw the bottle back towards the audience. This was followed by a storm of space from Nice supporters and scuffles with players and supervisors.
The abandoned game was made up for on neutral ground (1: 1). Nice had to play a ghost game. For his involvement in the scuffle, Olympique Marseille fitness trainer Pablo Fernandez has been banned for the remainder of the season until June 30, 2022. OM players Payet and Alvaro Gonzalez were suspended. A month later, fans at the north derby between RC Lens and champions OSC Lille caused the game to be interrupted by riots.
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