Tribune. Since the resumption of the Ligue 1 championship, scenes of violence have multiplied in the stadiums. I was the victim with the most media coverage, although I am not the only one to have been attacked in a particularly cowardly and unacceptable way. I want to say that if I wanted to write this letter, it is not for a communication story or at the request of the club. There is no vice or calculation on my part, I don’t have the will to put pressure on anyone, I don’t care about that, especially since I no longer have any personal interest in this story .
I just want to try to bring a point of view. Because I still remain the first victim of the incidents in Nice and Lyon [lors d’un match à Nice, le 22 août, Dimitri Payet avait reçu une bouteille d’eau dans le dos, et un supporteur avait tenté de le frapper ; à Lyon, un supporteur de l’Olympique lyonnais lui a lancé une bouteille sur la tête], which gives me a little legitimacy. I would like the inter-ministerial meeting on violence in stadiums [prévue jeudi 16 décembre] is not without tomorrow.
“I was hurt as much by the bottle as by the impression of being responsible for the violence and the stoppage of the match”
I’m not going to remake the match of the disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League (LFP), we heard everything before, during and after. I want to stay dignified, unlike those who have hinted that after all, I shouldn’t be “that hurt”. Or, and they are sometimes the same, those who wanted me to resume my place on the field after taking a bottle in the face.
In fact, I was hurt as much by the bottle as by the feeling of being responsible for the violence and the stoppage of the match. I say stop! There are enough. I’m tired of everyone putting their two cents in without providing the start of a solution. Sorry, but it must be said, it is not the prefect who is on the ground, nor the prosecutor, nor the delegate of the League, nor the presidents of Nice, Lyon or Marseille.
It’s the players, it’s us who are killing ourselves. And in this case, I’m the one who shoots the corners. Do I have to stop pulling them? Stop playing ? Tell me.
I am surprised that the actors – the government, the league, the clubs – do not take up their responsibilities a little more.
Football must rise
It is an unbearable form of collective resignation. I would like reasonable collective responsibility. I would like to be considered above all as a player who loves the game, the gesture and the beauty of this sport. I would like to be able to defend my idea of football on all the lawns of France without asking myself questions, without fear of meeting the gaze or the gesture of hatred. We love football because it is what unites us. Do not be divided because we wear the colors of a club. Football must rise, our Ligue 1 is beautiful.
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