Created in February 2024, the Olympique Lyonnais supporters club, “Six Neuf Pirates” is at the heart ofœur violent incidents since the start of the season. Two of its members gave an exclusive interview to BFM Lyon.
It was not the victory of Olympique Lyonnais that made the headlines this Sunday, October 6, but the clash on the sidelines of the match against FC Nantes between Lyon supporters. A member of the supporters group launched a few months ago, Six Neuf Pirates, was notably injured by a stab in the thigh.
Two members of the group agreed to give an exclusive interview to BFM Lyon, requesting anonymity. They admit to having fought on the sidelines of the match against Nantes after having been victims of acts of violence on several occasions. The group pleads “self-defense”.
How did the idea of creating a supporters’ movement come about?
The idea came after several events, including those at the parking lot in Marseille (supporters sang racist chants and displayed banners from an ultra-right group, Editor’s note). It was fed up.
I have already been part of one of the groups of supporters and I know that certain people, racialized or from the suburbs for example, do not have their place in the hard core of these groups. At Groupama Stadium, things have calmed down, but it still remains heavy for people who have a certain origin. With a group of friends, we got together and said why not launch our project.
What was your goal when creating the group?
We want to break the image of the racist and politicized Lyonnais, without generalizing, without accusing anyone. This is the image that is reported in the media and throughout Europe when we say that we are supporters of Olympique Lyonnais.
Of course, the majority of Lyon supporters are not racist. And wearing a French flag is not being racist. There’s nothing wrong with loving your country. What happened in Marseille was a vocal but influential minority.
How long have you been active?
Six Neuf Pirates was created in February 2024, with the release of our first press release. We were positioned in the South Bend but it didn’t work out. Some people made us understand that we were not necessarily welcome. There was no violence. But it wasn’t compatible. We understood that if we wanted to grow it was outside Virage Sud.
After the south turn, were you positioned on the other side of the stadium?
After consultation with the club, a few days after the start of the subscription campaign, we were positioned in block 404, next to the Virage Nord. Something that didn’t matter to the Bad Gones who didn’t want to have a new group that calls itself anti-racist. We do not claim this label but it has been attached to us. We never showed our opposition to other groups.
After that, the club invited us to go to another place in the stadium, a week before the start. It was also explained to us that we were not seen very well by the other groups. And that for our safety and for the safety of everyone, it was better not to position ourselves next to them.
Despite everything, we did not oppose the decision. We did not contest the decision because it could also allow us to develop more peacefully.
Has the club set any goals for you?
We wanted everything to go well. It’s a bit of a failure. The club told us “if at the end of the season, we have another meeting to find out if you will be official or not the following year, you must have grown up a little, that you are an association under the 1901 law, that you be structured with an office, members”.
Basically, you have to be popular. You have to have a certain basis. I think that means that we must allow them to make the implementation of the subscription profitable, because it is still work behind it.
You are criticized for dressing and adopting the codes of the ultras, what do you respond to that?
What is criticized against the “Six Nine Pirates” (SNP) is the black outfit, the fact that some hide their faces.
As we saw for the match against Olympiakos (the supporters say they fell into an ambush by other OL supporters, Editor’s note), it is our safety that is at stake.
There are fathers, there are women with us, there are vulnerable people. So, they don’t necessarily want to have their face on obscure networks or elsewhere.
It’s also a sort of “dress code” between us. And then, we are still a group of supporters. Yes, there are ultra codes which are used, once again, because in the ultra world, there is not only bad. Ultras just want to live their passion, defend their city and defend their color, without engaging in violence. Our priority is safety.
What do you say to those who accuse you of being politicized, of having brought the left or the extreme left to the stadium?
We have never been in politics, and we never will be. We are apolitical. Today, the only values that unite us are Olympique Lyonnais. Our group is open to everyone, we are cosmopolitan. The only values that we have defended since the creation of the group.
Exactly, what happened against Olympiakos?
There was bullying during the match at halftime. And then it started to heat up as soon as it whistled. So we wanted to wait for the players who were applauding. Some members of the group started to get scared. Stewards escorted us from Gate X to the parking lot. When we arrived at the parking lot, we saw guys in black and hooded masks. So we understood that it was an ambush. They attacked us, it was a 50 to 5 charge. They also attacked one person in particular because they recognized her by her clothing.
It lasted a few seconds. Then the police arrived and separated the attack. It wasn’t a fight because for a fight you need two clans. There, these were not two clans, there was no exchange of blows, it was an attack.
What happened after the match against Nantes?
A few minutes before the end of the match, we were informed that some guys were waiting for us at the bottom of the block. Some hooded, some masked or some uncovered faces. We informed security. We directly informed security. But for us, it was out of the question to relive an ambush like against Olympiakos.
We are still only Lyon supporters so we went down. We have a life next door. We are not going to go out 3 hours later for every match. And we are not going, at every match, to be escorted and wait for the police or the CRS. We are not away supporters in our own stadium. We will never accept that.
What was your reaction at that moment?
We acted in self-defense. Because from a legal point of view, to wait at the bottom of the door, in a threatening manner as they were, that is to say some hooded, some masked and some ready to draw I don’t know what weapons , we have the right to go down our door.
And yes, we wanted to act in self-defense, that is to say we wanted to get out of the block. If we left the block and it was just intimidation, we would have continued on our way. We barely got out of the stairs when there was a direct confrontation. There was a charge. The stewards closed the stadium doors.
Afterwards, we are not going to lie to each other. There was a fight this time. There were two camps. There are SNP members who defended themselves. But the problem is, there are people who had nothing to do with the SNP who suffered the charge. There are people who have had blows from others who are not from the SNP.
It was a mess. There was an exchange of blows. We defended ourselves. But we said “let’s go out”. We go out like everyone else. At the same time as everyone else. Because we said to ourselves, in any case, they are so organized, there are so many of them, it will happen either at the stadium or outside the stadium.
Have complaints been filed?
Yes, two complaints from people who were stabbed. One where the knife was stuck, the other for a scar.
The Bad Gones and the Kop Virage Nord ensure that members of the Six Nine Pirates were armed?
This is false. There was no knife or cutter. Nothing.
What feedback have you received from OL and the authorities after the incidents?
None. Apart from OL’s tweet, nothing happened (“These events are unworthy of our coat of arms”, wrote on X the general director of Olympique Lyonnais Laurent Prud’homme, condemning “very firmly” these “clashes and attacks”, Editor’s note).
What’s next for you?
Already, against Besiktas, our block is closed. Because the stadium is limited capacity. So the SNP will not be present against Besiktas. And to avoid any misunderstanding, we will not meet in another block.
But what is your message today, doesn’t it seem like the pressure is off? Are you calling for calm?
It’s still the same principles as at the beginning. We created a group of supporters to support our team. To be very clear, we are against all forms of violence, and I think we have proven that enough. We just want to come to the stadium and leave the stadium safely. This should be for all supporters.
Are there any sanctions planned if a member of your group commits reprehensible acts?
If a member is not above reproach, there are sanctions provided. It’s in our charter, in our internal regulations. If we identify the slightest error of one of ours, of course he will be excluded.
But for the moment, we are not a group, we are just a group with individual subscriptions. So everyone is responsible for their actions. We are an association under the 1901 law outside the stadium, but beyond the stadium gates, we are unofficial, and everyone goes to the match in their own person.
How do you see the future, are you still motivated despite all this?
Nothing has changed. It just increased our determination to want to support our club. At all costs. And have our group at the stadium. Some became demotivated, which is logical, because there was a psychological shock after the incidents in Nantes. Shocked in particular because two members were injured with knives.
Above all, they are afraid. Fear of returning to the stadium, whether in Block 439 or elsewhere. Those who are outside are also unmotivated to join our group. No one wants to come to see a football match and risk getting stabbed or ending up in a fight.
But for the members of our group, there is only additional motivation to tell ourselves that we are not doing this for nothing. Because our only ethic is to support Olympique Lyonnais, no matter who you are. We are the spokespersons for all Lyonnais. There is no communitarianism here.
Hugo Francés with JP (BFM Lyon)
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