2023-10-29 20:24:00
Before the duel between the rival football clubs Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyon, another huge scandal broke out. Coach Fabio Grosso was hit in the head and injured in an attack with stones on the Lyon team bus. Photos and videos showed on Sunday how the former Italian world champion walked through the catacombs bleeding profusely. Lyon’s assistant coach Raffaele Longo is also said to have been injured. The game was ultimately canceled.
When the bus reached the Stade Vélodrome, a huge hole might be seen on the right side. Coach Grosso was immediately treated by doctors and had his head bandaged; he is also said to have complained of dizziness. “He mightn’t hold a conversation, he had broken glass in his face,” reported OL club boss John Textor: “I’m very angry, our players, our coach have prepared for tonight and the fans wanted to see the game.”
Photo: FRED TANNEAU (AFP)
Lyon did not ask for the game to be canceled, Textor said: “We were ready to play. The decision was not ours because it happened outside the stadium. This is not how football should be played. We support the referee’s decision.” Three Lyon fan buses were also apparently attacked with stones. There are said to have been minor injuries. According to information from “L’Equipe”, the buses can no longer be used for the return journey to Lyon.
There are always riots and bad scenes at games between the two clubs. In November 2021, the game in Lyon was abandoned following Dimitri Payet, who was then playing for Marseille, was hit in the head by a full water bottle. Payet wanted to take a corner in the 4th minute when the bottle hit him behind the left ear. At that time, Lyon received a point deduction and the rescheduled game was played behind closed doors.
Image: CHRISTOPHE SIMON (AFP)
A few hours before the scandal in Marseille, AS Monaco had lost its lead in the table. Vorarlberg coach Adi Hütter’s club suffered a 2-0 defeat in Lille and slipped to third place. The Monegasques are two points behind the new leaders Nice, winners 1-0 at Clermont on Friday, and one point behind second-placed Paris Saint-Germain. PSG won 3-2 in Brest on Sunday, top star Kylian Mbappe scored twice (28th, 94th/penalty margin).
After his second goal, the Frenchman provoked the opposing fans with hand gestures and was shown a yellow card. He had previously been bothered by insults – apparently of a homophobic nature – directed at himself and his teammates. “Some have really never set foot on a playing field, no matter what level,” complained Mbappé on X (formerly Twitter). Coach Luis Enrique wasn’t that impressed with his striker’s actions. “I don’t like that kind of thing. It’s better to enjoy the moment. You have to try to get positive energy out of it,” said the Spaniard.
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