Savagery makes coach bleed and postpones match in France – 10/30/2023 – The World Is a Ball

An act of savagery by Olympique de Marseille fans before the game against Lyon resulted in the match being postponed.

As it approached the Vélodrome stadium, the bus carrying the Lyon delegation was stoned. Glass broke and the shrapnel left people injured.

Coach Fabio Grosso suffered cuts to his face, which bled profusely, and had to undergo medical treatment at the stadium. There were injuries to the forehead, eyebrow, nose and mouth.

Raffaele Longo, his assistant, was also hit in the face.

Grosso, 45, who began his coaching career in 2014, was one of Italy’s heroes at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

A left-back, he scored the first goal in the 2-0 extra-time victory over the hosts in the semi-final, and scored the decisive penalty in the penalty shoot-out against France in the final, securing the squadra Azzurra’s fourth.

“The images of the Lyon bus attacked with stones, and Fabio Grosso’s bloodied face, are terrible,” said Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra on social media.

“These unacceptable acts go against the values ​​of football and sport and those responsible must be identified and severely punished.”

Seven suspects were arrested hours after the incident, according to the ministry.

This Sunday (29), buses carrying Lyon fans were also stoned, and the accumulation of incidents led to the postponement of the duel, which would have been seen by around 65 thousand fans in Marseille.

The match’s referee, François Letexier, told a TV station that “Lyon made the decision not to play. The players were in shock, and the team didn’t want to go on the field.”

In a statement, Lyon confirmed “the impossibility of holding the game” and reinforced the need for action to prevent a repeat of the incivility, which would not have been unprecedented.

“We regret that this type of situation occurs every year in Marseille and we call on the authorities to take into account the seriousness of such incidents before a more serious tragedy occurs.”

Two of the most successful clubs in the history of the French Championship, with nine and seven titles, respectively, Olympique de Marseille, which in an official statement condemned the attack, and Lyon are having a mediocre to terrible campaign this season.

The former is in ninth place after nine matches, with 12 points, ten behind leaders Nice.

Lyon’s situation borders on dramatic: just three points, with three draws and six defeats. The club, seven-time champion from 2002 to 2008, is in last place in the table.

LINK PRESENT: Did you like this text? Subscribers can access five free accesses from any link per day. Just click the blue F below.