Last August 22, the OGC Nice vs. Olympique Marseille match was interrupted due to incidents involving fans and players. The Nice supporter who kicked Dimitri Payet was tried in court.
A month ago, the entire nation of France condemned the incidents during the Ligue 1 Nice-Marseille match. In the 78th minute, Dimitri Payet was targeted by bottle throwing from Nice ultras. The captain of OM then threw the bottles back towards the stands, which led to a pitch invasion by supporters, resulting in a general brawl among fans, staff, and players.
This Wednesday afternoon, the supporter responsible for the kick on Payet appeared before the court in Nice.
According to the video recordings shown in court, the supporter was the first to enter the pitch and charged towards the Marseille player with his foot forward. He justified his actions after the footage was shown: “I went down to demand answers and explanations. I saw several players around me and I panicked,” he explained during his trial. He also said he regretted his actions, “I deeply regret it, I am ashamed, I haven’t slept for three days, and I think I will regret for the rest of my life for tarnishing my parents’ and my small family’s name.”
The prosecutor considered that he had shown himself unworthy of being a supporter and requested a “five-year stadium ban, which is the maximum possible duration,” in addition to “one year of imprisonment, with six months suspended.”
