The minister and the mayors are indignant

2023-09-03 19:46:42

Reactions are pouring in after the revelation of the aggression of a family supporting OM during the FC Nantes-OM match on Friday evening at the Beaujoire stadium. This attack was followed by a heart attack for the father of the family, taken care of in the stands shortly before half-time, then hospitalized in intensive care. “This violence is outrageous: there is no justification for a child, his parents or anyone else to suffer such hatred in a stadium. All my convalescent wishes to the father, so that he can quickly find his family”, reacted the Minister of Sports, Amelie Oudea-Castra. “I welcome the reaction of the LFP, whose disciplinary committee is seized, as well as that of the club which announces to file a complaint”, she added.

A little earlier, Johanna Rolland, PS mayor of Nantes, had “firmly” condemned this “inadmissible aggression, completely contrary to sporting values”. The mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan (PS), has do the same. “My thoughts to your family and my deepest wishes for your husband’s recovery. Marseille is with you,” he says.

“In shock at what happened to him”

Originally from Loire-Atlantique, the assaulted parents were sitting in the Océane stand with their 6-year-old son, who was attending a Ligue 1 match for the first time. The boy was wearing an OM jersey, his favorite team. The invectives began when Marseille opened the score, from the 4th minute of play. Alicia Mahé, the mother of the family, says she was the subject of “insults, spitting and throwing beers” from of some Nantes supporters installed a few meters away, in the neighboring Loire stand. A scene corroborated by other witnesses.

The father of the family tried to intervene before feeling bad and collapsing, victim of a heart attack. “My husband is alive, he is trying to recover. He is in shock at what happened to him. My son seems to be fine too. He is only waiting for one thing: to see his dad, ”reassured Alicia Mahé this Sunday.

I wanted to thank everyone who reacted positively to what we experienced.
My husband is alive, he is trying to recover. He is in shock at what happened to him. My son seems to be fine too. He is only waiting for one thing: to see his dad.
Merci

— Alicia Mahé (@AliciaMahe) September 3, 2023

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Complaint filed and authors sought

The clubs of FC Nantes and Olympique de Marseille have both condemned the violence of the supporters. “The CCTV images are being analyzed, a complaint will be filed on Monday”, specifies the management of the FCN. The Professional Football League has indicated that its disciplinary committee will take up the case. The inaction of the stewards at the time of the attack was pointed out by several witnesses, as well as by the mother of the family. Stewards were only deployed along the gates of the Loire stand at the start of the second period, a journalist present on the spot confirmed to AFP.

These facts recall the attack on Kenzo, a young sick child OM supporter, and his family by Ajaccio fans during a Ligue 1 match at the François-Coty stadium. Three supporters of the Corsican club appeared before the Ajaccio court at the end of August for this attack. Judgment will be delivered on September 8.