OGC Nice condemned “with the greatest firmness”Wednesday evening, May 11, the song of his supporters mocking Emiliano Sala, the former Argentinian striker of FC Nantes who died in a plane crash in 2019.
The coaches of Nice and Nantes, Christophe Galtier and Antoine Kombouaré, also expressed their indignation after this song heard at the Allianz Riviera, during the late match of the Aiglons against AS Saint-Etienne (4-2).
OGC Nice “does not recognize its values or those of the entire red and black family in this unthinkable and abject provocation of a minority of its supporters”explained the club in a press release, bringing “his support for the family and loved ones of Emiliano Sala”.
Christophe Galtier has apologized to Emiliano Sala’s family and FC Nantes, ” behalf [ses] players, technical and medical staff”:
“I have no words to describe what we heard. On returning to the locker room, there were no cries, no joy… but amazement. You can hear a lot of things in a football stadium. But there, where do insults against a deceased footballer come from. They came from a few people, but they weren’t just three. But let them stay at home with their bottles and their insults. If this is our society, we’re screwed. »
” It is shameful “
“Human bullshit has no limit, I am outraged”added the Nantes coach, Antoine Kombouaré, questioned in the mixed zone after the victory of the Canaries against Rennes (2-1) in the evening in Nantes:
“These guys don’t belong in a stadium. They really should be banned. It is shameful. I feel sorry for Emiliano’s family. I knew that the supporters could be violent, idiots, but there… ”
Emiliano Sala died in January 2019, at the age of 28, when the small private plane which brought him back to Cardiff, where he had just been transferred for 17 million euros, crashed in the English Channel.
“He’s an Argentinian who doesn’t swim well, Emiliano underwater”sang part of the Nice public around the 9and minute, parodying the song (“He’s an Argentinian, he doesn’t give up, Emiliano Sala”) that the Nantes supporters sing at each match at this minute.
Ordinarily, it is not uncommon for opposing supporters to join in the chant in tribute to the former noh 9. The people of Nantes sang it on Saturday at the Stade de France during the Coupe de France final won 1-0 by the Canaries in front of the Aiglons.
On Wednesday, the Nice public also launched insults in the direction of Stéphanie Frappart, the referee of the final, guilty in their eyes of having awarded an imaginary penalty to the Nantes people.
