OGC Nice denounce ‘unacceptable’ referee reaction to anti-ISIS chant | OneFootball

The 87th minute came around at the Allianz Riviera on Saturday and, as is tradition, the stadium lit up as a tribute to the 86 people who died during the ISIS terrorist attack in Nice on 14th July 2016. It is a tribute that has been going on for several years, and it is one that is often accompanied by the chant: “ISIS, we f*** you in the arse.”

The French verb ‘enculer’ is considered to be a homophobic slur and has led to games being stopped in Ligue 1 previously, including very recently during OGC Nice’s 1-1 draw against Paris FC, at the Allianz Riviera earlier this month. 

However, a game has not been previously stopped when the word was used in the context of the anti-ISIS chant, which has become a part of the Nice fans’ tribute. However, when it was sung during Saturday’s 3-2 win over Olympique Lyonnais, referee Jérome Brisard stopped play and asked for the club’s speaker to ask the fans to stop the offensive chanting. 

Nice, in a press release titled “unacceptable”, reacted post-match. “It is unacceptable and a lack of respect for the victims of 14th July, their families and the city of Nice, not just OGC Nice. We did not take this moment well,” said Fabrice Bocquet, the club’s president. 

Brisard apologises for stopping Nice game

He continued, “The interruption to the game, as well as the ultimatum given to our speaker to stop this protest with the threat that the game would otherwise not be resumed, should never have happened. It is a lack of preparation and awareness.”

Bocquet then revealed that Brisard has apologised for the stoppage. Nice added that they would hold talks with the FFF this week to avoid any future repeat. Speaking to L’Équipe, Antony Gautier, the head of refereeing, said that Brisard only heard the words “f*ck you in the arse” and not the word ISIS. Gautier added that had he heard that word, he would not have stopped the game on an exceptional basis. “Referees cannot know all of the habits of all of the clubs and all of the supporters from here to there,” added Gautier.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle