Thu, January 16, 2025
Olympique Lyonnais to review fan violence after French Cup exit to fifth-tier team
Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) will review footage of fan violence after being eliminated from the French Cup last 32 by fifth-tier team Bourgoin-Jallieu at the Pierre-Rajon stadium in Bourgoin-Jallieu, France.
Bourgoin-Jallieu’s Mehdi Moujetzky opened the scoring for the minnows, but the club’s chances appeared slim when Olympique Lyonnais, and five-time winners of the competition, were winning on the 64th minute due to strikes from former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic and Georges Mikautadze and dominating the game with 21 shots and 72% possession.
However, Bourgoin-Jallieu’s Moujetzky scored his second goal of the match just five minutes later, and the club managed to maintain the 2-2 draw to penalties, where it successfully eliminated its illustrious neighbours. Less than 50 kilometres separate the two cities, but the clubs have little in common.
Former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso both missed their penalty kick for Olympique Lyonnais, and Bourgoin-Jallieu won 4-2 in a so-called ‘giant-killing.’
This was the first time Olympique Lyonnais, who are sixth in Ligue 1, have been eliminated in the French cup by a team outside of France's top four divisions.
However, after Bourgoin-Jallieu’s unexpected victory, drama quickly escalated.
Bourgoin supporters invaded the pitch to celebrate, triggering Lyon fans to join them before fights broke out.
Olympique Lyonnais’ Director General Laurent Prud'homme stated in response to the fights:
“OL does not tolerate any violence from its supporters. We are contacting Bourgoin to view the images, take the necessary measures and identify the perpetrators of this violence, whether verbal, physical or racist.”
He continued: “These incidents must no longer tarnish the image of the OL.”
On October 29, 2024, Lyon’s league match at Marseille was called off after Lyon’s team bus was pelted with stones, injuring coach Fabio Grosso, since been replaced, as the players made their way to the Stade Velodrome.
Subsequently, Lyon fans were prohibited from travelling to the rescheduled game at Olympique de Marseille by the French Interior Ministry due to the risk of serious confrontation between supporters.
Bourgoin-Jallieu naturally still appears to be in high spirits, with 23-year-old Ronan Jay, the goalkeeper and hero of Bourgoin-Jallieu who saved the two penalties, telling beIn SPORTS: “We play football for this, it will stay with us for life, it’s unbelievable.”
