the Auteuil stand at the Parc des Princes partially closed for a match – Libération

While waiting for innovations, a return to good old methods. The disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League (LFP) decided to sanction PSG for the homophobic chants sung by some of its supporters on October 19 against Strasbourg, by partially closing the Auteuil stand at the Parc des Princes for a match. The sanction applying from November 5, PSG’s next match at home against Lens will go through the drops, unlike the reception in Toulouse on November 22.

The sanction is lenient (PSG had received a total closure of the stands last season for the same acts), and takes into account the intervention on two occasions by the stadium announcer to try to get them to stop, in vain. It is more precisely the parking lot occupied by the Collective ultras Paris, from which the chants against the Olympique de Marseille started, which will be closed on the occasion of the reception of the Pink City club counting as the 12th day of Ligue 1. “We have individualized as much as possible by not closing the entire Virage Auteuil but only the part of the CUP since that is where the songs came from”explained Sébastien Deneux, the president of the disciplinary committee, cited by the Team.

Stoppage or interruption of matches, eternal debate

The songs, sung for around ten minutes before being taken up by the entire stadium, had occupied part of the political discussion in the following days, the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, in charge of the fight against anti-discrimination -LGBT+, judging them “unbearable”. This had been an opportunity to bring out the cream pie from the interruption of matches in the event of discriminatory chants heard in the stands. After receiving associations fighting against homophobia in football, Thursday October 24, the Minister of Sports Gil Avérous declared himself in favor of stopping the match, immediately contradicted by his colleague from the Interior who for his part favored a “temporary interruption”. The option of introducing nominative tickets was favored and should be implemented in the stadiums of the biggest clubs, namely PSG, OM and Olympique Lyonnais.

Regarding the leaders of the chant, they have still not been arrested to this day, although two of them were identified five days after the match, according to Interior. Following these songs, PSG “reaffirmed its firm commitment against all forms of discrimination, including homophobia”, the club told AFP, adding to take “all necessary measures, before and during matches, to ensure that the Parc des Princes remains an inclusive place for all.”