Ligue 1 referee Jerome Brisard halted Saturday’s clash between Nice and Lyon in the 87th minute after hearing what he believed to be an offensive chant from the crowd. The match ultimately continued with Nice claiming all three points after securing a 3-2 victory.
Lyon have enjoyed a strong start to the campaign and had won five of their seven matches ahead of their trip to Allianz Riviera. Nice, meanwhile, had only won two of their seven league matches before the contest. But the home side had too much for the visiting team as Melvin Bard, Sofiane Diop and Hicham Boudaoui found the back of the net, with Pavel Sulc’s brace for Lyon proving futile.
During Bastille Day in July 2016, 86 people died in the city of Nice when a man drove a lorry into crowds.
The attacker, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was shot dead by police, with three people later jailed after being convicted of association with a terrorist. Five others were jailed after being found guilty of supplying weapons.
During matches at Allianz Riviera, a host of Nice fans now sing: “Daesh, Daesh, we’ll f*** you.” And they wear t-shirts that read: “F*** ISIS.”
And on Saturday, Brisard mistook the anti-terrorist chants for homophobic abuse, according to the Daily Mail.
Nice president Fabrice Bocquet was furious with the decision. And after the match, he hissed: “It’s a lack of respect for the victims of July 14, their families, and the entire city of Nice. Not just OGC Nice.
“This interruption of the game, like the ultimatum given to our announcer to take the microphone to stop this demonstration or the match would not resume, should never have happened.”
He added: “It was a lack of preparation and sensitivity, and it should never have happened, which the delegate agreed.
“The referee apologised. We will take the necessary steps this week with the FFF (French Football Federation), Philippe Diallo (the FFF president), and Antony Gautier (the FFF refereeing director) to ensure this never happens again.”
Meanwhile, referee chief Gautier later explained why Brisard had taken the decision to stop the match as he explained: “I spoke with Jerome briefly after the match, and while he clearly heard, ‘F*** you’, he was unable to hear the first word, namely the term Daesh.
“If he had been aware of the context, he would not have, exceptionally, stopped the match.”
Gautier added: “When you’re focused on your match, it’s not easy to know or hear what’s happening in the stands.
“The referees have very clear instructions from Philippe Diallo, the president of the Federation. They must stop a match for homophobic, racist, or discriminatory chants. It’s zero tolerance.”