Marseille’s Ligue 1 match against Lyon cancelled on Sunday afternoon after the visiting team’s bus was attacked on its way to the stadium, with coach Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo “directly beaten and seriously injured in the face”.
Images of the stone-throwing at the OL bus circulated on social media, showing Grosso on a stretcher with a bloodied face.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel, French football’s governing body, said the match, which was due to start at 19:45 GMT, had been postponed after an emergency meeting.
Their statement reads: “During the meeting of the crisis unit following the incidents that occurred outside the Stade Vélodrome on the way to their bus, Olympique Lyonnais made known its opposition to participating in the intervention under the circumstances.
“After consultation with Olympique de Marseille and the public authorities, the OM-OL match will be played tonight at 20:45. “
The OL strongly condemned the attack, adding that it first waited for the attack to occur, before realizing that Grosso and Longo’s condition was “much more serious than expected” and was due to the “mental state of the players. ” . .
The club said: “On Sunday afternoon, in front of the Velodrome stadium, several Americans violently attacked the Olympique Lyonnais bus and its players.
“Six Olympique Lyonnais fan buses were also attacked. If in the past there had already been attacks of this type, which Olympique Lyonnais regretted, this Sunday, October 29, a new step towards the worst has been taken.
“Sure enough, several windows of safes were shattered by heavy shells of unknown nature. These same projectiles penetrated the interior of the bus.
“Coach Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo were directly hit and seriously injured in the face of the attack. Present with them on the bus, the players and staff were also deeply affected by the violence of this attack, which the Olympique Lyonnais strongly condemns.
“In the beginning, as the OL representative said at the beginning of the crisis meeting, the coach and the players were looking for the adjustment to be made.
Subsequently, the OL representative reported on the physical condition of Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo, much more serious than expected, but also the negative medical tests and the intellectual state of the players. He then announced a replacement situation, indicating that he will not be able to play in the match.
OL said it was “clearly impossible” for the adjustment to take place, adding that it planned to “file a complaint in the coming days” before calling on the government to act.
They conclude: “Finally, Olympique Lyonnais regrets that this type of situation occurs every year in Marseille and invites the government to take stock of the seriousness and repetition of such incidents before an even more serious tragedy occurs. “
Marseille issued its own statement, criticizing the perpetrators and wishing 45-year-old Italian Grosso luck.
“Olympique de Marseille deplores the unacceptable incidents that took place tonight in the vicinity of the Stade Vélodrome, against the professional team bus and against the Olympique Lyonnais fan buses,” the OM statement read.
“The club wishes Lyon coach Fabio Grosso a speedy recovery and strongly condemns this violent behaviour which has no place in the world of football or in society.
“Because of a handful of idiots, tonight’s scheduled match ruined and put 65,000 fans at a loss to attend a football match.
“The club complies with the resolution adopted by the LFP and remains at its disposal to ensure that the match scheduled for Sunday, October 29 takes place as temporarily as possible and in the most productive situations imaginable at the Stade Vélodrome. “
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