Nice (AFP)

Homophobic singing continues to plague Ligue 1 matches: Nice-Marseille was suspended for twelve minutes at the Allianz Riviera, in the match of the third day of Ligue 1, on Wednesday night.

"Les Marseillais c'est des pé ..." sounded just as the Disciplinary Committee of the Professional Football League (LFP) was meeting in Paris. She had to judge 18 cases of homophobic songs or banners in the stands of her professional leagues, the L1 and L2.

Referee Clément Turpin interrupted the game in the 28th minute after several announcements from the announcer.

From the 17th minute, the ultras of the Southern People (former South Brigade), began to sing the song: "The Marseillais is p ...", followed by: "The League, you t" enc ... "

The announcer made an announcement in the 22nd minute: "We ask you to stop these insulting remarks, otherwise the match will be interrupted".

He again intervened in the 25th minute, the referee spoke to the captains, Dante (Nice) and Steve Mandanda (Marseille).

- "We like the + pedal +" -

The stand still singing the same tune, Mr. Turpin sent the two teams back to the locker room, which players regained under the now famous sing against the League.

The South Brigade in Nice started with banners in the second degree, playing on the words, by first deploying a banner: "Welcome to the group Ineos, in Nice also we love the pedal", this last word written in letters arc- as the flag of the LGBT community.

It was also an allusion to the Ineos cycling team, the petrochemical group that has just bought the club. The new strongman of the club, Robert Ratcliffe, brother of billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, the new owner, was in the stands to attend this show.

He was alongside former club president Jean-Pierre Rivère and his general manager, Julien Fournier. The new owners should also announce Thursday the return of the duo of business leaders.

A little later, the BSN unfolded another banner that reads: "LFP / Instance: full parking for gay stadiums", gay written in rainbow letters.

Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Marlene Schiappa, reacted on Twitter congratulating Clement Turpin, "whose commitment to respect for football is known to have interrupted the match", and denounced "a homophobic banner (which) dirty the stands".

- "It's part of the game" -

"We will not stop every game whenever there are idiots who act, otherwise we will never play, it's anything", responded the Nice player Wylan Cyprien at the microphone of Canal Plus.

"Since the dawn of time there are insults between the fans, it's part of the game," he added, adding that he was "against all discrimination whether it is gays, racists."

These facts are recurrent since the beginning of the season. On August 16, Nancy-Le Mans, in L2, was arrested for a few minutes. Last weekend, Brest-Reims and Monaco-Nîmes were also briefly stopped.

Wednesday late afternoon, supporters of Lille have sung: "The Stéphanois are p ...", briefly, without message from the speaker or intervention of the referee.

On this front homophobic songs, the war is open between the ultra movement and the authorities, as the song shows: "The League is on you".

For its part, the National Association of Supporters (ANS) believes that under the guise of fighting against homophobia, we seek above all to silence the ultras.

Wednesday's incidents are probably not the last of their kind.

© 2019 AFP