Ligue 1 order Lyon to play home games behind closed doors
Ligue 1 order Lyon to play home games behind closed doors until further notice after Sunday’s clash with Marseille was abandoned following water bottle thrown from the stands hitting Dimitri Payet
- Marseille star Dimitri Payet was hit by a water bottle at Lyon on Sunday night
- Ligue 1 clash was only four minutes in when referee was forced to suspend game
- Payet clutched his head in pain before falling onto the turf after being hit
- Ligue 1 have now ordered Lyon to play behind closed doors until further notice
Lyon will have to play their Ligue 1 games behind closed doors pending an investigation into the crowd trouble that prompted Sunday’s match against Marseille.
The game was called off almost two hours after Marseille’s Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle thrown from the Groupama Stadium’s stands after five minutes.
The former West Ham midfielder was about to take a corner kick in front of the home fans when he was hit by the bottle, immediately clutching his head in his hands and taking a few gingerly steps, before falling onto the turf.
Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet was hit in the head by a water bottle thrown by Lyon fans
Ligue 1 have announced that Lyon will have to play their Ligue 1 games behind closed doors
The Marseille players and referee Ruddy Buquet immediately rushed over to attend to the France international, while Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes remonstrated with the home fans.
Payet eventually got to his feet and was treated by Marseille’s medical staff, while the referee suspended the game before eventually opting to abandon the match altogether after a suspension of almost two hours.
Lyon authorities had initially ruled the game would restart, a decision which was communicated to fans by the stadium announcer.
The disagreement led to chaotic scenes, with Lyon players returning to the pitch to warm up while their opponents remained in the dressing room and the match was eventually called off.
Payet was about to take a corner in front of the Lyon fans when he was struck by a projectile
The 34-year-old immediately clutched his head in pain after being struck by the bottle
Payet fell to the turf in agony, before being attended to by his teammates and the medical staff
French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu said repeated crowd problems are putting French football’s future in jeopardy.
‘They have to come to an agreement, this kind of problem is for the League to solve,’ Maracineanu told France Info radio on Monday.
The interior ministry added that the French federation and the LFP have been summoned to the meeting.
‘Everyone must understand that it’s the survival of French soccer that’s at stake,’ Maracineanu said.
Ligue 1 has been marred by crowd trouble this season, with several incidents involving Marseille.
The referee suspended the game after Payet was struck on the head by a water bottle
In August, Payet was struck by a projectile towards the end of the second half of his team’s clash with fierce rivals Nice.
He reacted angrily and had to be held back by some of his teammates, but still managed to throw the bottle back into the stands.
The gesture sparked an angry reaction from Nice fans, who breached the security cordon formed by the stewards and stepped onto the pitch to confront the former Hammers man.
As furious supporters stepped onto the pitch, the referee was forced to suspend the game, while Marseille players and staff stepped in to defend Payet and a fight broke out involving players and staff from both teams, fans and stewards.
Marseille players walked off the pitch after the referee suspended the game in the first half
Marseille physio Pablo Fernandez was handed a one-year touchline ban for punching one of the Nice fans.
Lens, meanwhile, were ordered to play two games at home behind closed doors after crowd trouble during their match against Lille.
In September, meanwhile, Marseille and Angers fans brawled onto the pitch following a goalless draw, with rival supporters trading blows after breaching a security cordon.
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