Two Olympique Lyonnais (OL) supporters went on trial in Marseille on Tuesday, January 16, as part of an investigation into incitement to racial hatred and racial abuse. Aged 33 and 34, the two men were arrested in early December in connection with events dating back to October 29, 2023. That evening, Olympique de Marseille (OM) was hosting OL in a clash between two of Ligue 1’s biggest clubs, but the match was eventually postponed after the Lyon players’ bus was attacked and their coach, Fabio Grosso, was injured on the way to the Stade Vélodrome.
In the area of the stadium where some 600 supporters of the visiting team had traveled to Marseille, a group of around 10 people had clung to the fence. Among them were “Lyon supporters who made Nazi salutes and monkey chants to Marseille supporters,” explained Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone. The court’s decision on the two supporters will be handed down on March 12.
In the days after the incidents, OL “firmly condemned the unacceptable racist behavior of individuals in the stadium” and “requested the videos [of the stadium] to identify the perpetrators.” Although most of them concealed their faces with balaclavas, not all had acted with caution, agitated by the incidents that had taken place prior to their arrival at the Vélodrome.
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