After homophobic chants from Paris St. Germain fans during the league game against Olympique Marseille, members of the French government have demanded consequences. Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera called on the French soccer champions to “file a lawsuit to identify the perpetrators and bring them to court to have them removed from the stadiums.” It is “unthinkable that we turn a deaf ear to such hateful and homophobic chants in our stands,” she wrote after the two rivals’ game on Sunday at X. Olivier Klein, the commissioner for combating racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia, called for “sanctions ” and announced that he would consider a lawsuit in court. Klein was “very shocked”. His remarks are accompanied by a video in which PSG fans chant homophobic chants against Marseille players.
According to the French news agency AFP, the chants lasted almost a quarter of an hour. When contacted by AFP, PSG said the club “condemns all forms of discrimination, especially homophobia, and would like to remind people that they have no place in stadiums or in society.” The club therefore left the question of a possible lawsuit against the fan groups unanswered. In France, homophobic chants are more common in stadiums. Last season, some professionals also refused to wear a jersey with a rainbow print to mark the day against homophobia.
