Incidents of violence and discrimination should not be a part of football. It’s called the beautiful game for a reason and derogatory acts is not it. Unfortunately, they still occur, yesterday being an example.
It all began in only the 5th minute of the game as Marseille playmaker Dimitri Payet went over to take a corner when he was struck with a water bottle towards the side of his head.
Payet, clearly in pain, went down requiring medical attention prompting referee Ruddy Buquet to take the players off the pitch.
The play was suspended and the former West Ham star was spotted returning to the dressing room with an ice pack pressed to the side of his head.
After a 2 hour delay, the game was finally called off by the referee in light of the security issues.
Dimitri Payet Head Shot 😬
— Siaran Bola Live (@SiaranBolaLive) November 22, 2021
pic.twitter.com/PCy2Pz5bwd
Some Lyon fans heckled Payet even after he went off injured as they continued to taunt him and aimed discriminatory comments at him.
Payet, to no one’s surprise, was reported to be shocked by the events.
It is important we take away lessons from unfortunate events such as these. Mental health of footballers is still not discussed enough as they are put through a gruelling schedule, and even a simple slip-up leads to them being abused relentlessly on social media.
One perhaps can find a little bit of solace in the news that the supporter who threw the bottle was found and promptly ejected from the stadium.
Footage also emerged later of the same fan enduring a bit of vigilante justice as he was slapped by Lyon Ultras leader and put into his place, clearly conveying that what is right comes before any sort of fandom.
The Lyon fan who threw the bottle at Payet getting slapped by the leader of the group 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/EHpECzfpho
— WolfRMC (@WolfRMC) November 21, 2021