The court imposed a three-year probation period and a five-year ban on access to the Olympique Lyonnais stadium.

Prosecuted for "voluntary violence with weapon by destination", he will have to compensate the civil parties up to a symbolic euro, claimed by Dimitri Payet, Olympique de Marseille and the Professional Football League (LFP).

Olympique Lyonnais, also a civil party, was granted a deadline to assess their damage linked to the stoppage of the match.

The disciplinary committee of the LFP has already sanctioned the Lyon club with a closed-door match as a precautionary measure.

"I don't know what went on in my head, the euphoria, I don't know," said the defendant, Wilfried Serriere, 32, wearing a white Bayern Munich jersey under a blue anorak, without being able to explain his gesture.

Fan of OL for fifteen years, without belonging to a supporters' club, he apologized to the Marseille player, saying he had not aimed at him in the head.

He says he picked up the bottle on the ground, before having had the sudden idea of ​​throwing it, when the OM captain was about to take a corner.

In the images broadcast to the audience, we see him lowering his hood before throwing the full bottle of 50 centilitres.

The French midfielder of Marseille Dimitri Payet receives a bottle on the lawn of the Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1 on November 21, 2021 in Décines-Charpieu PHILIPPE DESMAZES AFP

"Zero tolerance"

"The world of football has suffered an upsurge in incidents and acts of violence," lamented prosecutor Béatrice Moure, who had required six months' imprisonment against the defendant.

"This is not the trial of supporters or football as such (...) Transforming this stadium into a fortress, with gates, nets, is it the value of sport that we must transmit to our children? ", added the magistrate, hammering:" the zero risk does not exist but the zero tolerance exists ".

"Violence is consubstantial with this sport", retorted in defense David Metaxas, for whom the defendant acted by "an absolutely stupid reflex act".

The lawyer challenged the constitution of civil party of the LFP and the OL, believing that his client, a snack delivery man with an income of 1,000 euros per month, should not "endure the violence of football on his own".

"It is the management of this crisis which also caused the media coverage of this affair. My problem is that the media coverage falls on him," said Me Metaxas.

"The fear will be there"

"It's not stupidity, it's madness, it's serious," pleaded Axel Daurat for OM and Dimitri Payet.

The Marseille lawyer recalled that the player had been targeted several times in recent months, with "significant" psychological repercussions.

"The fear will be there every time he puts a ball for a corner," said Me Daurat.

Olympique de Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet is about to take a corner kick during the closing match of Matchday 14 of Ligue 1 against Lyon on November 22, 2021 at Groupama Stadium in Décines-Charpieu, near Lyon PHILIPPE DESMAZES AFP

"If it continues like this, there will end up being a player in serious condition," said Benjamin Peyrelevade, lawyer for the LFP.

That of OL spoke of "the many prejudices" suffered as a result of the stoppage of the match - requests for reimbursement from spectators, insults received by the club and the closed session imposed for the next meeting (Lyon-Reims, 1st December) --.

© 2021 AFP