Marseille experienced an outbreak of violence as fans of the Marseille football team stoned the Lyon team bus, seriously injuring manager Fabio Grosso’s face. This horrifying occurrence happened en route to the Stade Velodrome, forcing the postponement of the eagerly awaited Ligue 1 match between Olympique de Marseille and Lyon.
29/10/2023 France 🇫🇷.
Marseille v Lyon. Marseille attacked Lyon bus before the match pic.twitter.com/j8MaVR8IX2— 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 (@thecasualultra) October 29, 2023
When stones were thrown at the Lyon team bus, the situation swiftly got out of hand and apparently seriously injured Fabio Grosso. The match was cancelled, and Lyon officials declared they will lodge a formal complaint about what happened in the next several days.
In a statement, the club wrote: “This type of situation recurs every year in Marseille and invites the authorities to take stock of the seriousness and repetition of this type of incident before an even greater tragedy occurs.
“He can’t hold a conversation, he had shards of glass in his face,” said Lyon president, John Textor.“ I’m very angry – our players, our coach, prepared for tonight and the fans wanted to see the game played.”
The scale of the violence was evident from reports that beer cans and other objects broke through the bus glass. In response to the issue, the local police moved quickly, making seven arrests associated with the attack.
The Lyon team bus was pelted with stones before Sunday’s match against Marseille as the side made their way to the Stade Velodrome, with the match between the two Ligue 1 rivals later being postponed.
Lyon coach Fabio Grosso needed medical treatment after being injured by… pic.twitter.com/45Mh2OzdWn
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 29, 2023
Marseille also issued a statement saying: “The club wishes a speedy recovery to Lyon coach Fabio Grosso and strongly condemns this violent behaviour which has no place in the world of football and in society.
“Due to a handful of mindless people, the game planned for this evening was spoiled and deprived 65,000 supporters of attending a football match.”
The Marseille-Lyon rivalry has always been tense, but with Lyon’s weak situation at the bottom of the table this season, expectations were especially high.
This tragic event serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of better fan conduct and security at football games, emphasizing the significance of guaranteeing the safety of everyone participating in the sport.
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