“In eight years of experience, I have never seen this, such a level of violence and insecurity, I hope this is the first and last time. » Sunday, we meet David Caccamo, a week after he refereed the departmental championship 2 football match between ASC Plombières-lès-Dijon and AS Fontaine-d'Ouche (ASFO). He remains in shock at the turn of events between supporters and players after the final whistle.
However, on the pitch, during more than 90 minutes of play, “I had nothing to say about the two teams or the assistant referees. It was a tough match, Plombières was first and had never lost before, it was a great match,” assures the Côte-d’Or football district referee. The only incident occurred in the first minute. “At the first foul called, a Fontaine-d'Ouche supporter insulted me and threatened to kill me,” he remembers. “I went to tell my delegate and the coaches that if it continued I would stop the match. The ASFO coach went to speak to the spectators to calm them down immediately. And it resumed without problem. »
“The player’s parents were lynched”
At the 92e minute, just before blowing the whistle for the end of the match, David Caccamo gives a red card to an ASFO player in front of spectators. “I pull the player back to explain to him and there, the ASFO supporters tell me that “it’s worth a hundred times red, well done!”. I tell myself, it’s okay, everything ends well, we’ll be able to go home,” confides the forty-year-old. “In addition, Fontaine d’Ouche had just won (3-2). »
But while the players return to the locker room and David Caccamo remains on the field, as required by the regulations, everything will degenerate. “I noticed that spectators from La Fontaine-d'Ouche were taking on a player from Plombières, but I did not hear why or what was causing the anger,” confided the referee. “They took him outside the complex to beat him, I immediately told my delegate to call the police. I observe from afar, the player's parents intervene and are also lynched and put on the ground. I felt helpless, it would move, then stop and start again. There were knives and a golf club. Moreover, the player was stabbed above the arcade. »
Another event will be added to this surge of violence. “I heard, quite close to me, the loading of a cartridge followed by a shot, it was horrible, it hurt my ears, everyone moved away,” says David Caccamo. “I went straight into the locker room, I called the police, saying that I would not leave without their intervention, so that they could provide security. When they arrived, it was like a flock of sparrows, there was hardly anyone left and even fewer to talk. »
“What solutions? Put security guards? »
The referee does not incriminate either club. “I spoke with the teams, they were all shocked, I had never had any problems with any of them before this meeting,” he assures. “We agree that what happened is unacceptable, for football it’s shameful! The real problem is the spectators. Supporters who come with a weapon in their pocket to watch a match, I don't understand, that's not the spirit of sport. » The referee made a report to the disciplinary committee. The investigation is underway. He also filed a complaint with the gendarmerie, who opened an investigation into the events after the match.
“We’re going to wait for the sanctions, the two-month truce will do some good,” said the forty-year-old. “But we are thinking about the return match, how will it go? Today, there is more and more violence in amateur football, what happened in Plombières could have happened on any field, it's terrible to say. What solutions when it comes from the public? I think that some clubs will end up being forced to hire security guards for certain risky matches. »
Another match stopped in Perrigny-lès-Dijon
Another incident occurred on Sunday December 15, in the afternoon, on a football field. This time, it was a departmental 3 match, between Perrigny-lès-Dijon and the Grésilles football club (FC) of Dijon, which almost ended badly. But the police had been warned of possible tensions and had therefore set up a security system in the stadium. During the match, insults and provocations were thrown at the players by supporters.
Ten minutes before the end of the match, while Perrigny was leading 5 to 1 and tension was rising in the stands, the referee decided to interrupt, then definitively stop the match. “He judged that the players were no longer safe,” specifies Jérôme Thibert, president of the football district. “I am waiting for its report and, here too, the disciplinary committee is seized. »
On the side of the gendarmes, we emphasize that “the brawl was avoided, we were able to contain the situation”.
