The Sochaux-Montbéliard Football Club wishes to react to the closed-door decision pronounced by the Disciplinary Commission of the French Football Federation against the club, following the incidents that occurred during the Dijon FCO-FCSM match.
FCSM strongly contests this decision, which heavily penalizes the club and its supporters. The sanction appears inconsistent and disproportionate to the alleged facts, while being unfair to the treatment reserved for Dijon FCO, which received only a simple fine despite its responsibilities in managing the events.
The club also contests part of the alleged facts, in particular the accusations of throwing firecrackers towards the Dijon kop.
We deplore that this decision was taken without any prior exchange with the FCSM or request for factual elements, demonstrating a lack of transparency and respect:
- None of the alleged facts were confirmed by an analysis of the video surveillance tapes, despite the club's explicit request
- No hearing of the FCSM was organized before such a decision with serious consequences was rendered
Furthermore, to date, the FFF has still not officially communicated to the FCSM. Faced with this situation, the club has decided to appeal this sanction as soon as it receives the notification. The appeal being suspensive, FCSM's next match, scheduled against Boulogne, will be played with the public.
The FCSM asks the French Football Federation to reconsider this unjustified decision and to guarantee fair treatment by respecting the rules of transparency and dialogue.
