The beautiful evening turned into a nightmare on Friday at La Beaujoire. A 39-year-old father suffered a heart attack in the middle of an altercation in the stands with Nantes supporters, on the sidelines of the Ligue 1 match against OM (1-1). He was rescued by paramedics after suffering two cardiac arrests. After speaking yesterday on the networks to denounce the violence of Nantes supporters and the inaction of stewards, Alicia Mahé, the victim’s wife, spoke at greater length this Sunday morning at BFM TV on the circumstances of this disastrous evening.
“I knew that we had been urinated on”
“He (his son, 6 years old) had an OM jersey but he was waving the FC Nantes flag so much, my son is not a fanatic, says his mother. When OM opened the scoring, we showed that we were happy. It was at that time that we suffered an outpouring of violence from certain individuals who were in the next gallery, the Loire tribune. We were insulted, we were spat on. We received cups of beer. I found out afterwards that we had also been urinated on. Some showed their sex. Without any steward intervention. This is especially what is unfortunate. »
Yesterday was my 6 year old son’s first game at La Beaujoire and not everything went well. Our fault: being an OM supporter and letting him wear his jersey for the match.
We were attacked during the match: spitting, insults, beers thrown in the face…— Alicia Mahé (@AliciaMahe) September 2, 2023
The family then asks the stewards to intervene. “They answered us, ”I don’t have to intervene, this is not my platform”. My husband was positioned next to the fence and we wanted to kick him through the fence. He got angry to defend his wife and son. »
After the Nantes equalizer, her husband suffered a heart attack. “He had a heart attack in the stands,” says his wife. I initially thought he was convulsing. I panicked, I screamed, I called for help. I was surrounded by my family. My dad took care of my husband. My sister, my brother and my cousin of my son. I was in panic. A young spectator who was next to us was a firefighter. He immediately saw that he had to massage very quickly. They did what they could while waiting for help to arrive. »
She is considering filing a complaint and Nantes in support
Alicia Mahé continues: “My husband was then evacuated by ambulance. He had had his first cardiac arrest. He will do a second one on the way to the hospital. But last night, the father of the family was out of danger. “He is recovering somehow, he has no memory of what happened,” says Alicia Mahé. Even if her husband does not plan to file a complaint, the mother of the family remains shocked and gives herself time to think about taking legal action.
The Nantes leaders reacted this Sunday morning via a press release. “FC Nantes condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable violence committed against an OM supporter family during the Nantes-Marseille match on Friday evening. The club seeks to get in touch with the family to ensure its greatest solidarity. The CCTV images are being analyzed, a complaint will be filed on Monday. »
In a press release, the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra gave her support to this family while condemning the “unworthy violence” suffered by its members. “There is no justification for a child, their parents or anyone else to suffer such hatred in a stadium. I welcome the reaction of the LFP, whose disciplinary committee is seized, as well as that of the club which announces to file a complaint. All my convalescent wishes to the father, so that he can quickly find his family. »
