• The Northern derby degenerated between supporters at half-time of the match this Saturday.

  • Supporters from each team were injured.

  • They tell what happened at

    20 Minutes.

Despite his four stitches on his head, Rémi Serpaud did not hesitate for long. Civilian fireman and weekend referee for amateur football, he went to direct a French Cup match this Sunday. As if nothing had happened the day before. As if this faithful supporter of Lens for 25 years had not been a collateral victim of the stupidity of a minority of Lensois and Lille supporters during the North derby. “It was important for me to go referee, it allowed me to move on. I wanted to exorcise what had happened the day before, ”says the thirty-something.

The day before, Rémi was at the center of the derby's halftime events. Came to attend the match in the Trannin stand with his father and his cousin who support Losc, the Lensois fan expected to spend a beautiful afternoon at the stadium. Sitting right next to the Lille parking lot, he was not more suspicious than that despite a funny atmosphere "I just saw and filmed Nazi salutes from some people dressed all in black". Gestures, invectives, insults but nothing that foreshadowed the outbreak of violence that took place at half-time.

“At the break, I go down to the bottom of the stand, level with the lawn, because I sometimes intervene on France Bleu Nord to talk about arbitration. I had to react on the air. And at that moment, I see that the buffer zone which separates the Lille supporters from the Lensois farts. The stewards are overwhelmed and Lille supporters begin to climb on the gates. There is then a crowd of Lensois supporters who want to get in touch and conversely, families with completely panicked children who want to get out of there. It was a crazy thing, kids were crying. Projectile throws intensify very quickly. Personally, I saw small flags flying, loaded cups and also a seat that I took on the face. I am with my back to the podium at this time and I collapse. I put my hand on my headit is full of blood and then I am taken care of by the rescuers on the lawn ”.

"For me, bullshit has no coat of arms or colors"

Evacuated on a stretcher, Rémi is evacuated to the general infirmary of the stadium located under the presidential stand.

It is there that he is sewn up before being evacuated to the Lens hospital center where he will spend the night for additional examinations.

Released this Sunday morning, Rémi received a lot of messages of support from Lensois supporters but also from Lille.

Courage!

Get well ❤️‍🩹 https://t.co/VWO19yvWrj

- 🚨LOSC Lille Fans🚨 (@LOSC_fs) September 19, 2021

“They told me that they did not condone what had happened to me and it is appreciable. I felt a lot of benevolence.

For me, bullshit has no coat of arms or colors.

I don't want to be used as an excuse for anyone.

I took a chair over the face but it could have been a kid in my place.

I am not in revenge but I will file a complaint on Monday to understand ”.

Clément, 15, injured in the head by an iron bar

Understanding is also what Corentin and Clément, two Losc supporters, are trying to do.

For the first time this Saturday, the eldest, 21, brought his 15-year-old brother with him on the road.

But again, nothing went as planned.

Installed in the Lille yard, the two brothers paid dearly for their presence at the stadium.

“It was hot since the start of the match because everyone was getting messed up.

And then, at half-time, there was a crowd movement.

With my brother, we went down several rows.

And several projectiles began to fly.

I stood in front of my brother to protect him but at one point he shifted a bit and took a metal square in the face, ”says Corentin, the eldest.

"Close to two centimeters, my brother could have lost an eye"

Open at the head to seven centimeters, Clément was not immediately taken care of by the emergency services because chaos reigns around the parking lot. After several minutes of waiting, he finally joined the infirmary where he was sewn up. Dressed in his Losc jersey, he will leave the stadium escorted with his brother so as not to meet Lensois supporters. Back home, the teenager will return in the night to the Lille hospital to have his cheek sewn also at the insistence of his mother.

If he's not traumatized, his brother still has chills when he thinks about the scene.

“He didn't see it coming.

Close to two centimeters, he could have lost an eye.

But the biggest concern for him who plays football is that he will not be able to resume immediately, ”laments Corentin, who considers that the security system in Bollaert was“ pitiful ”.

Despite everything, the two brothers assure him: they will return to the stadium but with much less recklessness than before.

Blame it on the stupidity of a handful of individuals.

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VIDEO RC Lens-Losc: Exclusive images of the tensions between supporters at half-time

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