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Sports Reporter
THERE was chaos, blood and tears in the mayhem which resulted in Sunday’s French Ligue 1 match between Olympique Marseille and Tino Kadewere’s Olympique Lyon being called off.
This followed the attack on the Lyon team bus, which was pelted with stones, injuring coach Fabio Grosso, as the players made their way to the Stade Velodrome.
Sky Italia footage showed damage to two bus windows and Grosso being led into the stadium by two assistants.
He was covering his face with his hands, which were stained with blood.
Grosso suffered injuries to his scalp and face.
“He can’t hold a conversation, he had shards of glass in his face,” Lyon’s club president, John Textor added.
“I’m very angry — our players, our coach, prepared for tonight and the fans wanted to see the game played,” he told Prime Video.
Fans were asked to leave the stadium calmly.
“Following the injuries of Lyon members, considering the opinion of the club, which did not wish to start the match, and the established protocol, the decision was taken not to play the match,” said referee Francois Letexier.
“The images of the OL bus attacked with stones and its supporters, and of Fabio Grosso’s blooded face, are appalling,” French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea Castera said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“These unacceptable acts deny the very values of soccer and sport, and the perpetrators must all be found and severely punished,” she added.
Seven suspects had been arrested on Sunday night, the Minister added.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe international defender, Teenage Hadebe was an unused substitute as Houston Dynamo beat Real Salt Lake 2-1 in the first round of the MLS Cup play-off match late on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Hadebe has had a difficult 2023 season due to injury and has just managed 14 appearances in the campaign.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter