By supporting this Thursday on social networks its former defender Samuel Umtiti, "victim of racist chants during the Lecce-Lazio match" the day before, Olympique Lyonnais probably did not expect to receive many comments from supporters referring to the recent recruitment of Dejan Lovren.

Because the 33-year-old central defender, whose return to Lyon (after a stint from 2010 to 2013) was formalized on Monday, is at the heart of a big non-sporting controversy.


This is former @LFC defender Dejan Lovren & @intermilan player Marcelo Brozovic singing 'Za Dom Spremni' (For homeland - ready).



It's a salute used during World War II by the Croatian fascist Ustaše movement.

It was the Ustaše equivalent of the Nazi salute "Sieg heil".

https://t.co/tkoz4RjWmJ pic.twitter.com/xzGvh0wQjq

— Smajo Bešo (@SmajoBeso) December 19, 2022

Access to this content has been blocked to respect your choice of consent

By clicking on "

I ACCEPT

", you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners

I ACCEPT

And to better remunerate 20 Minutes, do not hesitate to accept all cookies, even for one day only, via our "I accept for today" button in the banner below.

More information on the Cookie Management Policy page.


The day after the third place obtained by his Croatian selection at the World Cup in Qatar, a video, which shows Dejan Lovren and his teammate Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan) taking over a rallying song of the Ustashi, Nazi collaborators during the Second World War, was released on December 19 on Twitter.

All while performing a fascist salute.

“We are in a sports press conference”

Many OL supporters, already uncomfortable with the conviction of Jérôme Boateng, upon his arrival in September 2021 (then on appeal last November), for assault and battery against his former partner, point to this controversy concerning another central defender.

The question was therefore asked this Thursday at a press conference at Laurent Blanc, two days before the 32nd final of the Coupe de France against Metz.



“It's a nationalist song for the liberation of his country, believes the Lyonnais coach.

I'm not going to answer for him.

I saw a very respectful man with his family, Me, I look a bit sporty and Dejan fulfilled what we were looking for.

He's a good recruit as a footballer, someone with experience because we lacked it behind.

He knew the very high level and he can speak French.

If we look at the man, it's your judgment… There are a lot of shocking subjects at the moment.

We can understand it, but here we are in a sports press conference.

»

Sport

Mercato OL: Almost ten years later, Dejan Lovren returns to Lyon, until 2025

Sport

Ligue 1: Asensio at PSG, OL in the race for exes, we imagined the ideal transfer window for French clubs (or not)

  • Soccer

  • Sport

  • Olympique Lyonnais (OL)

  • Dejan lovren

  • Laurent Blanc

  • Croatia

  • Lyons

  • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes