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LIGUE 1

Lyon coach Fabio Grosso injured in bus attack; Ligue 1 match postponed

Lyon’s Italian coach has received treatment at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome after the club’s team bus was attacked on Sunday.

Andrés Onrubia
Kieran Quailekquaile90
(FILES) Lyon's French head coach Fabio Grosso looks on during the French L1 football match between Brest and Lyon at the Francis Le Ble stadium in Brest, western France on September 23, 2023. Lyon's head coach Fabio Grosso is hoping for "a good game in Marseille" ahead of the Ligue1 football match on October 29, as Grosso faces rumours about his supposedly poor skills and lack of results. (Photo by Fred TANNEAU / AFP)
FRED TANNEAUAFP

French football suffered another ugly incident on Sunday. The Lyon bus - on its way to Marseille’s Stade Velodrome - was stoned and Lyon head coach Fabio Grosso was left injured after a stone struck him in the face.

Marseille-Lyon match postponed after bus attack

The injuries sustained resulted in the Italian coach receiving emergency treatment inside the stadium. The LFP held an emergency meeting and has decided to postpone the matchday 10 Ligue 1 fixture that was due to take place on Sunday evening.

The decision to postpone the match was announced by the LFP just minutes before the scheduled 20:45 kick-off time (local time).

Referee François Letexier explained the decision to postpone the match, saying: “A crisis meeting took place, which allowed us to take into account the opinions of the relevant parties following injuries to members of Lyon’s staff.

“OL did not want the game to take place. Taking into account OL’s decision and the league’s protocol, the decision was taken not to start the match. It will not take place. What happens next will be decided by the relevant authorities.”

Firefighters stand next to Lyon's team bus, showing one window (L) completely broken and another damaged, after the bus was stoned as it entered the Stade Velodrome ahead of the match between Olympique Marseille (OM) and Olympique Lyonnais (OL).
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Firefighters stand next to Lyon's team bus, showing one window (L) completely broken and another damaged, after the bus was stoned as it entered the Stade Velodrome ahead of the match between Olympique Marseille (OM) and Olympique Lyonnais (OL).CHRISTOPHE SIMONAFP

World Cup winner injured in attack

The 2006 World Cup winner - now coach of the Ligue 1 side - received a bandage covering his left eye and part of his cheekbone, and is the victim of a suspected concussion, report L’Équipe.

Lyon supporters attacked

Lyon supporters’ buses were also attacked and damaged, after being hit by stones from Marseille supporters, who were involved in an incident a month and a half ago, when they threatened to kill club president Pablo Longoria and former head coach Marcelino García Toral.

What has Lyon owner John Textor said?

Lyon’s American owner John Textor contradicts the statement made by Letexier. “No [ we didn’t ask to postpone the match]. Very quickly after it happened, we had a team meeting... our team decided they would play,” he told Prime Video Sport.

“They wanted to play, they were ready to play. I’m very proud of the captain wanting to do that. The decision was made independently of us. We wanted to play football. We’re angry.”