The French government vowed Monday to punish football fans who chanted homophobic slurs at a top Ligue 1 clash at Paris’s Parc des Princes stadium.
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During Sunday’s match between bitter rivals Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille groups of fans chanted lines such as “Marseille are faggots” and “we will hang them by the balls, but sadly they don’t have any”.
The chants—which did not appear targeted at individual players or fans—went on for close to 15 minutes, according to an AFP reporter in the Paris side’s home stadium.
“It is impossible to be deaf to such hateful and homophobic chants in our stands,” said Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera on X, formerly called Twitter.
She said the chants had “ruined the party” at the Parc des Princes, the home ground of PSG which thrashed Marseille 4-0 on the night.
“I have made sure that a firm response will follow,” the minister said, adding she had urged PSG to bring legal action against the chanting fans with a view to excluding them from future matches.
“We need urgently to eradicate such chants from our stadiums,” she said.
Il est impensable de rester sourd à de tels chants haineux et homophobes dans nos tribunes. Peu importent la rivalité et l’enjeu, ils doivent être combattus sans répit par les supporters, les acteurs de la compétition, les instances et les pouvoirs publics. Hier, ces chants ont… https://t.co/31fLOvlz4C
— Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (@AOC1978) September 25, 2023
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