Le QuotidienA bus was completely burned and 30 supporters, along with eight police officers, were slightly injured on Saturday evening during clashes between Lyon and PSG fans at a highway toll booth, just before the French Cup final in Lille, actions condemned « with the greatest firmness » by President Emmanuel Macron.
This brawl involved supporters of both teams heading to the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq around 6:00 pm on the A1 motorway, at the Fresnes-lès-Montauban toll booth (Pas-de-Calais), a few dozen kilometers from Lille.
During this violence, a bus was set on fire and two others were damaged, according to the Nord prefecture in a statement released overnight. Thirty supporters were slightly injured, with 14 requiring « medical attention, » as well as eight police officers.
The President Emmanuel Macron, present at the stadium to witness Paris-Saint-Germain’s victory (2-1), strongly condemned these clashes. « These are sports events where joy should prevail. »
« Wrong place, wrong timing »
« I regret any violence that occurs in the name of football, » commented PSG coach Luis Enrique after the match. Lyon captain Alexandre Lacazette indicated that the players had seen the images before the game. « It’s sad for football to come to this, » he said.
According to the narrative of the Nord prefect Bertrand Gaume, a convoy of supporters, escorted by the police, crossed paths with those of the opposing supporters, who arrived at the toll booth « at the wrong place » and « at the wrong timing. »
Some supporters, whether Lyon or Paris fans, then « triggered the bus security features » to « attack the opposing team, » which in turn threw smoke bombs at a bus.
« There were very violent clashes, » before the « very rapid » intervention by law enforcement, according to Mr. Gaume.
The Paris Ultras Collective claimed that a Parisian bus was « attacked by a Lyon bus, » while the road was « exclusively reserved for Parisian supporters, » with each group having « a predefined route. »
« Subsequently, other Parisian and Lyon buses crossed paths, and we had to defend ourselves again, » it added in a statement.
« The route followed was that of the escort, modified by the police. The buses were indeed escorted, » assured the Olympique Lyonnais in a statement condemning the violence.
In peace
The burned bus carcass was still under the toll booth at the start of the match, as noted by AFP journalists. Some Lyon supporters still on site at that time were eventually transported in escorted buses.
At the exit of the stadium on Saturday evening, supporters from both camps, initially Lyon supporters, then Paris supporters, were taken care of peacefully, without crossing paths, under the watchful eye of many stewards and CRS.
« These acts of violence, which took place before the match on the public road, are unacceptable » and « contrary to the values that football should embody, » reacted the French Football Federation.
During the day, Parisian supporters, but especially Lyon supporters, livened up the streets of Lille in a friendly atmosphere, as observed by an AFP journalist.
According to the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were mobilized to secure the match and 1,000 others inside the stadium.
The Nord prefecture had tried to minimize the risks of encounters between supporters of the two clubs before this match, ranked 5 out of 5 by the National Division for Combating Hooliganism, with, for example, separate areas near the stadium or dedicated metro lines.
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