OL-OM incidents: a point withdrawn in Lyon, the match to be replayed behind closed doors

Published on : 12/08/2021 – 10:36 PM

A firm point withdrawn from Olympique Lyonnais and a match to be replayed in Lyon, but behind closed doors. The disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League recognized, Wednesday, December 8, the responsibility of the Lyon club in the incidents of the OL-OM match, during which Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle of water thrown by a supporter.

OL were also penalized for another game behind closed doors, which had already been purged when they received Reims a week ago (2-1 defeat).

“Any act of violence against a player in the game, especially a major player, exposes a penalty in loss of points”, said during a press conference the chairman of the disciplinary committee, Sébastien Deneux . “We took into consideration the actions of the Lyon club immediately after the incidents, which in particular allowed the identification of the author of the bottle throwing and gave the possibility of seeing it sanctioned by the criminal justice”, t he added however.

On November 21, Marseille captain Dimitri Payet received a bottle of water in the head when he was about to take a corner in front of the bend occupied by the Lyon ultras, where no protective net was installed. The match, interrupted at 0-0 after only four minutes of play, had never resumed, after an imbroglio involving referee, clubs and representatives of the State.

Three million euros financial loss for OL

The author of the projectile throw, arrested, was sentenced by the courts to six months in prison suspended in immediate appearance.

“We of course considered that the club was responsible for the actions of the supporters present in its stadium. This decision highlights OL’s responsibility, absolutely,” said Sébastien Deneux.

Shaken by a wave of serious incidents since this summer, French football eagerly awaited Wednesday’s decision, while new government measures are hoped for in mid-December to respond to general indignation, further heightened by the OL-OM affair .

Wednesday’s decision is not trivial for OL, 12^e of Ligue 1 with six points behind on the podium before the announced sanctions. OL also estimate the financial loss caused by a closed-door match at more than 3 million euros.

In the Lyon camp, we defended the thesis of “the individual and isolated act” that “no one can anticipate or prevent”, and we hoped to avoid any loss of point.

With AFP