Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain AND Lyons was briefly interrupted on Sunday due to anti-gay chants from PSG fans.
Referee Benoît Bastien stopped play in the 53rd minute at the Parc des Princes, with hosts PSG leading 2-1 after chants were heard.
PSG captain Ashraf Hakimi he approached fans in the Auteuil stand behind one of the goals and asked them to stop. A message was then displayed on the stadium’s giant screens reminding fans that discriminatory chants were prohibited.
“The match may be interrupted or even lost for the club,” we read in the statement.
Finally, after a few minutes, the game was resumed.
The scandals in Paris were the latest in a long series of similar incidents as French football authorities struggle to deal with the problem.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau suggested earlier this year that matches should be stopped when fans chant anti-gay slurs in stadiums.
Earlier this month, a French campaign group again called on authorities to take action against anti-gay chants from soccer fans, claiming that Marseille fans shouted anti-gay slurs “with impunity” during their home match against Monaco.
Anti-gay slurs, often heard at Ligue 1 matches, have long been tolerated by club officials, with football authorities struggling to find appropriate ways to address the issue.
In 2019, after a match at the Parc des Princes between PSG and Marseille, during which anti-gay slurs were used by home fans, the league launched an action plan allowing spectators to report sexist, homophobic or racist incidents they witness. However, the harassment has not stopped and has even intensified in recent months.
French clubs have been fined, and the league’s disciplinary committee has also ordered the closure of stands in similar cases in recent years. Additionally, French law provides for a penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($47,600) for speaking publicly against gays.
Last season, some PSG players received a one-match suspension from the league’s disciplinary committee for shouting insulting messages at Marseille after a league match at home. Ousmane Dembélé, Hakimi, Randal Cole Muani and Layvin Kurzawa were filmed hurling insults at each other while celebrating their 4-0 win over Marseille. The four players apologized.
This match was also disrupted by anti-gay chants from some PSG fans directed against Marseille players.
