Lyon and Paris FC thrown out of French Cup, fined after crowd trouble

[December 28, 2021]   

(Reuters) - Olympique Lyonnais and Paris FC have been thrown out of the French Cup after their game earlier this month was abandoned over crowd trouble, the French Football Federation (FFF) said on Monday.

Officials and players leave as supporters walk on the pitch during Paris FC v Lyon French Cup match at the Charlety Stadium in Paris, France December 17, 2021, in this still image obtained from social media video on December 18, 2021. Courtesy of Twitter @Ken95_/via REUTERS

The episode on Dec. 17 in Paris had supporters fighting and some of them coming onto the field to throw flares at each other at halftime when the score was level at 1-1.

It was the latest in a series of incidents that has marred French football this season, leading FFF president Noel Le Graet to say it was 'disastrous' and 'shameful'.

The FFF's disciplinary commission also fined Lyon 52,000 euros ($58,890) while second-tier Paris FC were handed a 10,000 euros fine.

Lyon fans have been barred from attending away matches in domestic competitions for the rest of the season.

Lyon also received a suspended ban from the French Cup for the 2022-23 season with a warning that they will be thrown out again if their fans are guilty of violence which results in the match being stopped.

Lyon were already docked one point in Ligue 1 after their home game against Olympique de Marseille was abandoned last month after Marseille's Dimitri Payet had been hit by a bottle thrown from the stands.

As a result of the FFF's decision, Nice directly advanced to the next round.

($1 = 0.8830 euros)

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru)

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.