Before the duel between the rival football clubs 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 the former Italian world champion walking through the catacombs bleeding profusely. Lyon’s assistant coach Raffaele Longo is also said to have been injured. The Ligue 1 game scheduled for 8:45 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 decisive goal to make it 1-0 in extra time in the 2006 World Cup semi-final against Germany (2-0), was immediately treated by doctors and bandaged on his head. The Italian is also said to have complained of dizziness.
“He couldn’t hold a conversation, he had broken glass in his face,” reported OL club boss John Textor: “I’m very angry, our players, our coach have prepared for tonight and the fans wanted to see the game.”
Lyon did not ask for the game to be canceled, Textor said: “We were ready to play. The decision was not ours because it happened outside the stadium. This is not how football should be played. We support the referee’s decision.”
Lyon fan buses also attacked
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.