October 25 – France’s interior minister wants matches to be brought to a halt when fans are guilty of homophobic chanting.
Bruno Retailleau announced on Thursday that Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches might be suspended or halted completely if there are any further incidents, and that they would follow the three-step FIFA protocol.
This decision follows the latest homophobic chants by Paris St Germain supporters when they hosted Strasbourg last Saturday. The offensive slurs were directed at Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot who appeared more than 200 times for the PSG from 2012-19 before moving to their bitter rivals.
“We asked … the French football federation (FFF) to apply strictly the FIFA protocol: suspension, interruption and definitive stoppage of the match. And we will do it from Sunday,” Retailleau said.
He added that two individuals who were suspected of starting the chanting had been identified.
“They should be severely punished,” Retailleau said. “It’s become unbearable. We can no longer put up with homophobic chanting. I won’t stand for it any longer.”
His comments came ahead of PSG’s high-profile clash Marseille on Sunday when away fans are banned.
Contact the writer of this story at andrew.warshaw@