Ligue 1 – Song on the death of Emiliano Sala: La Populaire Sud Nice invokes the “second degree” to justify itself

The Nice supporters had found themselves at the heart of the attention at the very start of the season, after the invasion of the field which took place during the reception of Marseille. They are again at the heart of the discussions two days before the end of the exercise. And once again, it’s not really for good reasons. Wednesday evening, in the 9th minute of the match against Saint-Étienne (4-2), ultras from the Populaire Sud Nice took up an inappropriate, even downright shocking song aimed at making fun of the death of Emiliano Sala. The Argentinian striker died in a plane crash in January 2019, when he left Nantes to join Cardiff, his new club.

This drama had upset French football. In particular the Nantes supporters, who have since taken the habit of singing in tribute to their former striker, whom they will not forget. It is precisely this song that the ultras of the Riviera took up and distorted on Wednesday evening, which did not go unnoticed. Shortly after the final whistle, the Gym, via an unequivocal press release, then Christophe Galtier, at a press conference, condemned the actions of this section of their public. This Thursday at midday, it was the turn of the Popular Sud Nice to express itself. And his explanations have enough to leave more than one pensive.

In a press release published on its Facebook page, the Côte d’Azur group begins by recalling its unconditional support for the Aiglons, before deploring “that after a mistake, whether it seems huge or not according to everyone’s thoughts, everything is called into question.” And to add: “If we obviously understand the self that the words of this song can arouse, the second degree is an integral part of ultra culture, but also of our nissardity (…) symbol of our self-mockery and of the casual spirit (sometimes too certainly) which is ours.”

Galtier targeted