On October 29, Lyon’s soccer team faced a troubling situation when their bus was attacked by some fans on their way to the Stade Velodrome for a match against Marseille. This unfortunate incident led to the cancellation of their scheduled Ligue 1 game.
During the attack, Lyon’s manager, Fabio Grosso, and his assistant, Raffaele Longo, were directly hit by objects thrown by the fans. As a result, both of them suffered serious injuries to their faces. Fabio Grosso needed 12 stitches to treat the wounds caused by shards of glass that had struck him and made him bleed heavily.
Les racailles qui ont caillassé le bus de l'Olympique Lyonnais ils ressemblent beaucoup aux émeutiers du mois de juin #Remigration ✈️ #OMOL pic.twitter.com/adHo0i9YGA
— 🇨🇵 Frederic (@frednormandie8) October 29, 2023
John Textor, the President of Lyon, expressed his anger and concern, saying that Fabio Grosso couldn’t even have a conversation because of the glass shards in his face. He also mentioned that the players and the coach had prepared for the match, and the fans were eager to watch it.
Lyon released an official statement about the attack, explaining that several people had violently targeted their team bus, staff, and players as they arrived at the Vélodrome stadium. The attackers used heavy objects that shattered reinforced windows and even penetrated the inside of the bus. This resulted in Fabio Grosso and Raffaele Longo sustaining facial injuries, and other people on the bus were deeply affected by the violence. The club strongly condemned this attack.
Our team wanted to greet our supporters ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/0vRfptUbqJ
— Olympique Lyonnais 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@OL_English) October 29, 2023
Marseille also issued a statement condemning the unfortunate incident, wishing Fabio Grosso a speedy recovery, and denouncing the violent behavior of a few individuals that spoiled the planned game. This incident deprived 65,000 fans of the opportunity to attend a football match, which is not acceptable in the world of football or society.
