This weekend, the public’s return to Ligue 1 stadiums was marked by incidents during the meeting between Montpellier and Olympique de Marseille at La Mosson. But there would also have been concerns on the side of Geoffroy-Guichard.
If in Montpellier the match was interrupted for a few minutes due to the throwing of projectiles from the supporters of the MHSC. Valentin Rongier was notably hit in the lip and was badly damaged. Unacceptable behavior while the return of the public to stadiums in France was to be a celebration. We also learned at the start of the week that incidents also occurred at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne, where the Rouge Direct collective relayed homophobic chants from ASSE supporters against those of FC Lorient.
The LFP ordered to punish
“Hello LFP: ‘Fagots, we are all going to fuck you’ this is homophobia: are you going to apply the rules and punish? Jean-Michel Blanquer, Roxana Maracineanu, no impunity, take action, thank you “ released the Whistleblower Against Homophobia in Sport. At the microphone of France Bleu, the spokesperson for the association Julian Pontès also stepped up to the plate. “Shouting in a dirty queer stadium to curse the opponent, for us, for LGBT people, for gays, is extremely violent. We have to explain to them that it is punishable by law, that it is something that is serious, just like racism or anti-Semitism. Hearing those homophobic chants again in the Cauldron hurts us. We are also waiting for the Saint-Étienne club to condemn and for the disciplinary commission of the LFP to apply the regulations and sanction these homophobic chants ” he explained. It remains to be seen whether ASSE and the Professional Football League will respond officially to these chants heard at Geoffroy-Guichard.