He says little, but when he lends himself to the media exercise, he does so at length. Thibaut Delaunay, the head of the National Division for the Fight against Hooliganism (DNLH), gave an interview to RMC Sport, posted online this Friday morning. It goes into detail about the safety of supporters in stadiums, but also outside.
Thibaut Delaunay also spoke about Sunday evening’s clash between Marseille and PSG, at the Vélodrome at the end of the 27th day of Ligue 1. Once again, Parisian fans will not be able to travel to the Orange Vélodrome. “Unfortunately, these matches were often punctuated by incidents, sometimes serious incidents,” explains the boss of the DNLH. And this is what leads us to take measures to supervise these meetings, which could not be played in good security conditions in the presence of opposing supporters. »
A lack of trust
The commissioner points out the lack of dialogue between organizers and supporters. However, signs of goodwill are sometimes shown. Like on October 29, 2023, when Lyon fans were able to travel to the Vélodrome. This ultimately led to incidents with the attack on the Rhone players’ bus during which Fabio Grosso, then OL coach, was seriously hit in the face. “I think that supporters also need to take responsibility,” continues Thibaut Delaunay. Supporters should make commitments so that they give us confidence so that we can authorize them to travel. »
He notably justifies the authorization of the Lensois to travel to Lille, this Friday evening for the derby, by the confidence placed in the Artesian fans. “Last season we had already organized the trip of Lensois to Lille. The trip went well with strict supervision. And so that reinforces our idea that we must go this route. »
“Facts that could be dramatic”
If the DNLH does not note any particular increase in acts of violence this season, its boss still notices increasingly regular incidents outside the stadiums: “We have observed since the start of the season around 17 or 18 attacks or attempted attacks on convoys, which is huge. These are facts that could be dramatic. It is a phenomenon that we must control and above all stem. »
Thibaut Delaunay also regrets the French delay in individualizing sanctions, to the detriment of other supporters, often punished in groups. “In France we currently have a little more than 300 stadium bans, which, compared to our neighbors and particularly the English who have more than 3,000, is out of proportion with our country. But even our Belgian neighbors who have a volume of supporters lower than the number of French supporters, they have four times more stadium bans than in France. So there is a real effort to be made on this subject. »
