Juba Touabi, Media365, published on Wednesday October 9, 2024 at 9:45 p.m.
Acts of damage were discovered around the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, headquarters of the Greens.
This Wednesday morning, employees of AS Saint-Étienne discovered insulting tags on the walls of the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium and the club shop. Among the inscriptions, one could read “Death to the Greens” as well as homophobic remarks, acts immediately condemned by the club management. These graffiti, with a particularly violent tone, occur in an already explosive context as the duel against rival Olympique Lyonnais is fast approaching.
Lyon supporters behind the tags?
At the scene of the vandalism, stickers of the Bad Gones, the main ultra group of Olympique Lyonnais, were found, suggesting that Lyon supporters could be at the origin of the damage. Although this has not yet been confirmed, the hypothesis of a premeditated action, with a view to galvanizing the troops before the derby, seems to be taking shape. Faced with this situation, AS Saint-Étienne filed a complaint against X, hoping to identify those responsible for these acts via video surveillance images from the stadium.
The management of ASSE, visibly shaken, is awaiting exemplary sanctions against the possible perpetrators of these acts, which are a reminder of the extent to which the rivalry between the two camps often goes beyond the limits of sport. This incident occurs in a tense context between supporters of the two teams. A few weeks earlier, during the meeting between OL and FC Nantes, a violent fight broke out between groups of Lyon supporters, leaving one person injured. This escalation of violence worries the authorities, especially since the derbies between ASSE and OL have often been marked by excesses in the past. The authorities, clubs and the Professional Football League (LFP) will have to be extra vigilant to prevent sporting rivalry from once again degenerating into unacceptable violence.
