Fabio Grosso was injured. © ANSA / AMAZON PRIME

Scandal in Marseille: Grosso injured in bus attack

There are always riots at games between the two rivals Marseille and Lyon. Now the Lyon bus has been pelted with stones - with consequences for coach Grosso. The game is canceled.

29 October 2023

From: dpa

Before the duel between the rival football clubs between Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyon, another huge scandal broke out. Coach Fabio Grosso was hit in the head and injured in an attack with stones on the Lyon team bus. Photos and videos showed on Sunday evening how the former Italian soccer world champion walked through the catacombs bleeding profusely. Lyon's assistant coach Raffaele Longo is also said to have been injured. The Ligue 20.45 game scheduled for 1:XNUMX p.m. was ultimately canceled.

When the bus reached the Stade Vélodrome, a huge hole could be seen on the right side. Coach Grosso, who once scored the deciding goal to make it 2006-2 in extra time in the 0 World Cup semi-final against Germany (1-0), was immediately treated by doctors and bandaged on his head. The Italian is also said to have complained of dizziness.

The Lyon team bus. © APA/afp / CHRISTOPHE SIMON

"He couldn't hold a conversation, he had broken glass on his face," reported OL club boss John Textor: "I'm very angry, our players, our coach were preparing for tonight and the fans wanted to see the game." Lyon didn't When asked to cancel the game, Textor said: “We were ready to play. The decision wasn't ours because it happened outside the stadium. This is not how football should be played. We support the referee’s decision.”

Marseille's President Pablo Longoria speaks to the press. © APA/afp / CHRISTOPHE SIMON

But that's not all: three Lyon fan buses were apparently also attacked with stones. There are said to have been minor injuries. According to information from “L'Equipe”, the buses can no longer be used for the return journey to Lyon.

There are always riots and bad scenes at games between the two clubs. In November 2021, the game in Lyon was canceled after ex-national player Dimitri Payet, who was then playing for Marseille, was hit in the head by a full water bottle. Payet wanted to take a corner in the 4th minute when the bottle hit him behind the left ear. At that time, Lyon received a point deduction and the rescheduled game was played behind closed doors.