At OL Park,
The thermometer was still above 30 degrees and the sun was reflected on the huge club logo dominating the front of the west stand of Parc OL, Friday as the kick-off of the 3rd day of Ligue 1 against Auxerre approached. There was a scent of holiday rabies, as many families and groups of friends chatted in front of food trucks and refreshments, all smiles, before taking their places inside the “formidable tool”.
If there were ultimately less than 36,300 spectators at the stadium, this is clearly more linked to an unusual/complex schedule (7 p.m.) and the status of the AJA (red lantern in Ligue 1 with now 11 goals conceded in three matches) than to the heavy context of two investigations opened into attacks, of a racist nature according to the victims, having taken place six days earlier on the sidelines of the OL-Le Havre match (1-1).
“These matters do not prevent us from coming to the stadium”
Messages have since multiplied on social networks to demand “a Leproux plan” and “the dissolution of Bad Gones”, while the elected representative of Rillieux-la-Pape Meriem Bouchedda targets certain members of the main group of Lyon supporters (6,000 members). They would have “made fun” of her and her companion during their attack suffered after the meeting, without providing them with the slightest help according to her testimony to 20 Minutes.
On the square in front of Parc OL on Friday, before a controlled success against Auxerre (3-1), the IRL spectators we interviewed had a different opinion. “I have been a subscriber to the north turn for six years and I have never had/seen any problems,” assures Julien (38 years old). “It is out of the question to ignore these two cases, but stop the hot reactions,” urges Johan (33), a regular at Kop Virage Nord at the intermediate level. We must let justice move forward and draw its conclusions. In any case, these matters do not prevent us from coming to the stadium. »
“A reinforced police force” in front of Auxerre
At his side, his friend wants to tell us “there is no smoke without fire”, without wishing to say more. The day before, a source close to the Prefecture indicated to 20 Minutes that the authorities would be “extremely vigilant in Lyon-Auxerre as to the risks of violence between groups of supporters [which had already experienced a serious precedent in Décines in October 2024] and as to the racist dimension”. “In permanent contact” with OL, the Prefecture in fact “reinforced the police force” on Friday evening.
The CRS 83, a mobile unit specializing in urban violence, is notably involved. A few moments after the final whistle, around twenty CRS watch attentively for the post-match at the bottom of the block reserved for Kop Virage Nord. At 9:15 p.m., the main pro-OL songs follow one another on site in a festive atmosphere, before being followed by the poetic creation (no) for Mattéo Guendouzi.
But also by a Marseillaise chanted by more than 100 ultras, and concluded in chorus with the always problematic “Blue, white, red”. “When I hear that about matches, and other far-right references, I don’t take it personally,” confides Daniel (23), who is of Cameroonian origin. I suspect that deep down, as soon as these guys see a black OL supporter at the stadium, it doesn't suit them. »
A club “too discreet and lax”?
His friend Samir (22 years old), originally from the Comoros, continues: “I don’t hear racist remarks any more at Parc OL than in certain luxury white neighborhoods in Lyon. If I have to get beaten up one day around the stadium in Décines, just because I'm black, there's nothing I can do about it... But I'm not going to stop coming to support OL because of them. »
It was partly due to “repeated racist behavior” in the Lyon stands that François (38) canceled his OL subscription in 2017. “I was having a hard time with Gerland's move to Décines and I could no longer stand all these insult songs and the frequent fights within the corner itself,” he says. But what shocked me the most was to regularly see small groups of young people aged 18-20 giving a Nazi salute in the north bend of Parc OL. »
A chilling example which reminds us to what extent the corners of Lyon have long been corrupted by ideas/members of small ultra-right groups. “The club is unfortunately too discreet and lax after each racist episode,” regrets Daniel. I can't explain it because OL's image is ruined every time by this behavior. »
“Less than one case is concluded each year,” notes OL
On the OL side, a simple, very sober press release was published on Monday after the media coverage of the two weekend affairs. And this in order to recall that it will “show zero tolerance towards violence, racism, sexism and all discrimination”, while opening “an internal investigation” and keen to “become a civil party alongside the victims”. But why not more concrete actions, which was already criticized by management during the Aulas era?
“We may issue between 100 and 200 stadium commercial bans each year, but only administrative and judicial bans are really effective,” specifies a club source. However, a little less than one case is successful each year. It is therefore a form of double punishment: people think that we are doing nothing even though we are carrying out these procedures at arm's length, and that they are not successful. The club is not satisfied with this situation. »
Quickly identified after the video was broadcast on social networks, the Lyonnais who performed a Nazi salute in the Manchester City stadium in September 2018 was never convicted. Victim of nudges and insults during the broadcast of the 2024 Coupe de France final at Parc OL, Anissa had to wait two years to witness the conviction of the perpetrator, in April at the criminal court. The racist and sexist nature of the attack suffered was not retained, contrary to what the civil parties and the prosecution's requisitions requested.
Politicians step up to the plate
The 25-year-old defendant received a ten-month suspended prison sentence and a two-year stadium ban for “meeting violence in a sports venue”. If Friday evening proved calm at OL Vallée, that of the previous Saturday, marked by the attack suffered by Meriem Bouchedda and her companion, as well as that suffered by a 17-year-old teenager, but also by a brawl between the Atypik Lyonnais (ex-Six Neuf Pirates), a group not recognized by the club, and another group of Lyon supporters that the investigators are seeking to identify, has everything the tipping point.
There has been no shortage of strong reactions from political figures in the metropolis of Lyon since that sad evening. “I hope that OL will take stock of the facts, that they will take their responsibilities and that they will clean up their supporters,” says Laurence Fautra (LR), mayor of Décines-Charpieu. We don't come to Décines to let off steam and make racist remarks out of time. » For Lyon MP from the New Popular Front Marie-Charlotte Garin, “football has been sullied by two extremely violent racist attacks”.
“This must stop,” demands Govou
Deputy Security Officer in Décines, Jean-Emmanuel Alloin has just told BFM TV, after viewing the video surveillance images of his town: “A gang of savages attacked people, including this 17-year-old boy. They were barbarians who attacked him in groups, with some kicking him to the head. We are no longer dealing with an attack at all but with a homicide which failed.” For his part, the former seven-time French champion within the best OL in history Sidney Govou slips on his X account: “This has to stop! Please don't close your eyes anymore. Identify, fire and strongly condemn and say it publicly! ".
Our file on OL
We learned on Friday, in the middle of OL-Auxerre, that three thirty-year-olds had just been arrested in the Lyon area for their involvement in the violence against Meriem Bouchedda and her companion. Among them, a 33-year-old man is suspected of being the main perpetrator of these acts. “The main defendant, known for various offenses particularly related to drugs, admits to the violence,” specifies a source close to the case, cited by AFP.
