Game interrupted 45 minutes
County thrown on referees: fan in custody
04/21/2025 – 2:46 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
The game between Saint-Étienne and Lyon causes excitement-but not only sporty. An incident in the stands has an aftermath.
The game of the French Ligue 1 between AS Saint-Étienne and Olympique Lyon had to be interrupted for 45 minutes on Sunday. The reason was a throwing floor from the audience that hit a referee assistant on the head – a coin. As the police said, a 28-year-old suspect was “formally identified” with the help of video recordings and arrested after the game in the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
According to a police director of the Loire region, Yves Cellier, the man’s interrogation of the man is related to an investigation due to “violence in a sports facility”. The aim is to clarify whether the arrested person is actually responsible for the throw of the coin. Several further coins were also found near the crime scene, the Saint-Étienne public prosecutor said.
Despite the incident, the line judge concerned continued the game after the long interruption together with the rest of the referee team around EM final referee François Letexier. The game ended 2-1 for the home team.
According to information from the AFP news agency, the suspect threatens up to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.