2023-10-08 20:23:32
It is the gesture of shame. While Montpellier was quietly leading against Clermont (4-2) in added time in the 91st minute, a firecracker thrown by Montpellier supporters from the “Etang de Thau” stand exploded at the feet of Mory Diaw. Here is what we know about how events unfolded.
What happened ?
While we were playing the first of six minutes of added time, the Clermont goalkeeper, impressive against PSG last week, was going to make his clearance within 6m and received a firecracker at his feet. He then collapsed, visibly stunned, when the device detonated and remained on the ground for a long time before being evacuated on a stretcher. Under the influence of emotion, his teammate Neto Borges was sent off after giving the finger to the stand.
Given the events, the man with the whistle, Mr. Florent Batta, sent the 22 players back to the locker room and summoned an exceptional crisis unit comprising the refereeing body, the match delegate, the police as well as a representative from each club, to decide whether or not to resume the match. Meanwhile, according to the local newspaper, Midi Libre, the alleged perpetrator of the firecracker throwing was arrested and taken out by the stewards, before being taken into custody by the police.
Why was the meeting stopped?
A good half hour after this jet from the stands, and while the Clermontois had returned to the locker room, the security representative of the Mosson stadium, Maître Pierre-Marie Grappin, announced on the microphone that the match had been completely stopped. , pointing the finger at the supporters: “I have had the honor of walking on this lawn for 40 years and this is the first time that I have been confronted with this type of situation, it has never happened to us. (…) I therefore ask you not to add to the severity. You cannot imagine the damage the club is suffering because of your behavior. »
While CF63 was trailing 4 goals to 2, Mory Diaw was the victim of a firecracker thrown by a Montpellier supporter at the end of the second half. Affected, the Clermont goalkeeper had to be evacuated on a stretcher.
Following this incident, the meeting was definitively stopped.#MHSCCF63
— Clermont Foot 63 (@ClermontFoot) October 8, 2023
For his part, Florent Batta also explained his decision at a press conference: “Following the throwing of a firecracker near the visiting goalkeeper, the player collapsed to the ground. For the safety of the players, I asked everyone to return to the locker room. We set up a crisis unit. The doctor who examined the goalkeeper found that the latter was not able to resume the match. As a result, the meeting is definitively interrupted. »
How is Mory Diaw?
For the moment, Clermont Foot has not yet communicated on the state of health of its player. Only the assessment of the official doctor of the Auvergne club has come out: he explained to the security manager of Mosson and to the referee that Mory Diaw was “extremely traumatized after this incident”.
An observation also shared by Johan Gastien, who gave news of his goalkeeper at the Clermont microphone: “Mory is shocked like someone who received a projectile one meter from him. Medically, we will have to check with the doctors but I was afraid for him because I was next to him. When we see the stretcher which took 15 years to arrive, honestly we had no security on the ground. »
What does Montpellier risk?
The Hérault club risks (very) big before the LFP disciplinary committee, which should decide quickly. At best, the match will be replayed. At worst, the MHSC will lose it on the green carpet and could have a loss of points. And this gesture exasperated the club president, Laurent Nicollin, who castigated the supporters at a press conference: “When you lead 4-2 five minutes from the end of the match and potentially you are 6th tonight, with the players who busted their asses for thirty minutes at ten… It’s a feeling of disgust. When some kind of asshole throws something from the stand at a given moment it becomes painful and supernatural. I hope the Clermont goalkeeper is doing well, I haven’t seen the images but I hope he can return with his teammates. We are often criticized for not having ambitions, but with assholes like that, we are not likely to have any.”
For comparison, during the match between Metz and Lyon on December 3, 2016 at the Saint-Symphorien stadium, the Gones goalkeeper, Anthony Lopes, was also targeted by firecrackers, causing the match to be definitively stopped. The Lorraine club had received two less firm points, one suspended, and a match to be replayed against the same opponent behind closed doors. The two supporters were respectively sentenced by the Metz Criminal Court to 6 months in prison and 6 months suspended.
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