A father hospitalized after being assaulted in the stands with his family

The drama was narrowly avoided on Friday evening in the stands of the Beaujoire stadium in Nantes. The story, told by Press-Ocean, is told on X (ex-Twitter) by several witnesses. A family from Loire-Atlantique sat in the Océane stand to watch the Ligue 1 match between FC Nantes and Olympique de Marseille. The 6-year-old son, who was going to a big stadium for the first time, was wearing the jersey of OM, the team he supports. Celebrated by the child, the opening of the Marseille score from the 4th minute triggered the anger of a small group of Nantes supporters installed a few meters away in the Loire stand, yet separated by a grid.

The following ? “Spitting, insults, beers thrown in the face…”, says Alicia Mahé, the mother. The 39-year-old father of the family tried to intervene before feeling unwell and collapsing, victim of a heart attack just before half-time. Taken care of by the rescuers, he was hospitalized in intensive care at the Nantes University Hospital.

Passive stewards?

“My husband, wanting to defend his family, had a heart attack in the gallery. And there again some idiots had no respect: selfies in front of the ambulance, insults again… ”, was moved Alicia. Still on X, Pierre Hamon, sports journalist and witness close to the scene, reports his “disgust” faced with the violence of a “handful of fools”.

He also recounts the “inaction” of the stewards present nearby. “Alert, the stewards did not react until they felt unwell. After the father’s evacuation, they blamed each other. “Thank you to the incompetent stewards who did nothing because it was not their platform”, also denounces the mother of the family.

My 6 year old son had his first match in a French stadium where his father almost died defending his family.

Thanks to the incompetent stewards who didn’t do anything because it wasn’t their grandstand!!

Thank you to the emergency physicians who saved my husband from 2 stoppages.#FCNOM

— Alicia Mahé (@AliciaMahe) September 2, 2023

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Solicited by 20 minutesTHE FC Nantes “Condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable violence”. “The club seeks to get in touch with the family to ensure its greatest solidarity. The video surveillance images are being analyzed, a complaint will be filed on Monday, ”specifies the club.

FC Nantes and Olympique de Marseille drew (1-1) on Friday evening. More than 34,500 spectators attended the match.