Coach injured, French football game postponed after bus attack

A shocking attack on a visiting team’s bus left a coach bloodied and the match abandoned in France’s Ligue 1.

Sunday’s Ligue 1 match between Marseille and Lyon was postponed after the visitors’ bus was stoned on its way to the ground.

Lyon coach Fabio Grosso’s face was left bloodied and his assistant was also injured as the team bus was pelted with stones en route to the Velodrome, shattering a number of windows.

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A club source said Grosso had also been experiencing dizzy spells.

A crisis unit was set up to decide the fate of the match, with Lyon making clear its reluctance for the game to go ahead given the circumstances.

“Based on Lyon’s wishes … the decision was taken not to start the match,” said referee Francois Letexier, adding that reports “have been forwarded to the relevant authorities who will decide what action to take”.

Some of the damage inflicted on the bus and (inset) injured Lyon manager Fabio Grosso. Photos: AFP and Twitter

Marseille president Pablo Longoria addresses media after the attack. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP)

Prime Video footage showed Grosso with a bandage on his head as he came out of the stadium’s medical room.

A photo circulating on X (formerly Twitter) appeared to show Grosso lying on a stretcher with a cut above his left eye.

“These are completely unacceptable circumstances,” said Marseille club president Pablo Longoria.

“My first thought is for Fabio Grosso, someone I respect and have known for a long time.

“I went to see him as soon as I arrived at the stadium, I saw how he was.”

What the hell! Horrible

— Ace Of Sol ♠️ (@soddexter) October 29, 2023

Bizarre scenes in Marseille tonight, as Marseille supporters pelted the Lyon team bus, resulting in the coach and assistant coach being injured. Several players are also reportedly affected 🇫🇷👀 pic.twitter.com/g2tDmf3sUE

— 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 (@thecasualultra) October 29, 2023

A second bus containing Lyon supporters was also attacked with stones and the windows damaged, a local police source told AFP.

“These images are revolting. Seeing the stoned bus like that, the bloody face of Fabio Grosso,” French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera told AFP

“These are unacceptable acts which go against the very values of football and sport.

“I hope that the investigation will be carried out quickly, that the perpetrators are found and they are severely punished.”

Originally published as Coach injured, French football game postponed after bus attack