Lyon vs Marseille game suspended when Dimitri Payet hit by a bottle from the stands

On Sunday’s game between Lyon and Marseille, Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle which was thrown from the stands five minutes into the game. Payet fell to the ground holding his head in his hands and finally left the field with an ice pack on his head.

It was originally thought that the game would resume, but after two hours of the suspension, the referee said the game would be abandoned completely because they could not guarantee the safety of the players.

This isn’t the first time something like has happened. Back in August, when Marseille played Nice, Payet was hit by a bottle thrown from the stands, too. In that instance, he threw it back. That caused the Nice fans to storm the field and that game was also abandoned.

Similarly, another Ligue 1 game between Lille and RC Lens in September was suspended due to the fans throwing objects at each other. They ran onto the field and had to be stopped by police.

Marseille president Pablo Longoria said, “We need to ask questions, reflect. It is not normal what is going on at the moment with this violence, these instances.”