Fabio Grosso, the manager of Lyon, sustained a serious injury before his club was supposed to play Marseille in a Ligue 1 game. While the Lyon bus departed for the stadium in South France, Marseille supporters launched rocks at the Lyon team coach. Those rocks broke the window of the bus and collided with Fabio Grosso. The Lyon manager sustained serious injuries that required medical attention. Pictures after the event show Grosso bloodied with bandages cast around his face.



One of the assistant coaches at Lyon, Raffaele Longo, also sustained injuries after the attack from Marseille supporters. Following an emergency meeting with Ligue 1 officials, the league postponed the anticipated derby clash. The Clash of the Olympics will have to wait until a further date to transpire. 



“During the crisis unit meeting following the incidents that occurred outside the&nbsp;Stade Velodrome&nbsp;on the route of its bus, Olympique Lyonnais made known its opposition to taking part in the match given the circumstances,” Ligue 1’s statement said. “In consultation with Olympique de Marseille and the public authorities, the OM-OL match will therefore not be played this evening at 8:45 p.m.”



Initially, Lyon wanted the match to go ahead as planned. Club owner John Textor said the situation came down to Ligue 1 and the development of the injuries to the team.



“Our team wanted to play, we said we were ready to play, I’m very proud of the captain,” Textor said. “It was very moving. We saw blood coming out of his head. He wasn’t really lucid because he was hit with shrapnel too. The decision is beyond our control.”



<h2>Marseille responds to fans injuring Lyon manager before Ligue 1 clash</h2>



However, the injuries to Grosso and Longo were worse than originally anticipated. Out of precaution, Gross required a stretcher because of his injuries. Also, <a href="https://www.ol.fr/en/news/olympique-lyonnais-condemns-the-attack-against-its-bus-and-those-of-its-supporters" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lyon cited the mental state of the players</a> after the attack.



Marseille also condemned what it called the ‘deplorable’ acts of fans. The club wishes Grosso a speedy recovery from his injuries sustained on Sunday. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20231030_WST_465883_Fabio-Grosso-injury-1200x675.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-465884" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/10/Fabio-Grosso-injury-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/10/Fabio-Grosso-injury-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/10/Fabio-Grosso-injury-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/10/Fabio-Grosso-injury.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure><figcaption>Fabio Grosso needed bandages on his head after rocks broke the windows of the Lyon bus.</figcaption></figure>



“Because of a handful of thoughtless people, the party planned for this evening has been ruined and 65,000 fans have been deprived of attending a football match,” Marseille said.



The club did not provide any mention of impending punishment. However, the club likely faces sanctions from the league. Marseille supporters, as well as several other clubs in France, have a history of violent behavior. For example, last year, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/greeks-seek-ban-on-marseille-fans-for-paok-match-20220411-CMS-379392.html">Greek fans called for a ban on Marseille supporters</a> during a European game. Marseille played a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/marseille-ordered-by-uefa-to-play-europa-league-game-behind-closed-doors-20180910-CMS-252033.html">Europa League game behind closed doors</a> last year because of crowd disturbances and instances of violence. 



<h2>Ligue 1 continues to have fan violence</h2>



The French government condemned the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-government-condemns-disgusting-marseille-fan-violence-2023-10-30/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">disgusting behavior</a> of Marseille fans at the weekend. However, this is a disturbingly common occurrence for French soccer fans. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/french-league-calls-for-collective-action-after-nice-marseille-fan-trouble-20210824-CMS-343003.html">Nice supporters stormed the field</a> to confront Marseille star Dmitri Payet in 2021. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/french-football-wrestles-with-violence-in-stadiums-as-fans-return-20210924-CMS-346492.html">Flares are also a common projectile</a> fans in the stadiums launch onto the pitch. 



Ligue 1 has yet to release an official statement on the incident. For now, all fans know is that the game is postponed. There is no set date to play out the derby clash nor is there knowledge of fans’ attendance in the stadium.



PHOTOS: IMAGO

Ligue 1 postpones game after Lyon manager injured by rival fans

Fabio Grosso, the manager of Lyon, sustained a serious injury before his club was supposed to play Marseille in a Ligue 1 game.

<div style="text-align: center"><a href="http:\/\/view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/roma-inter-milan/image/8715638?term=AS+Roma+Inter" target="_blank"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a></div>
Serie A fans have had to endure a long two weeks for the international break, but they could be looking at another long break at the end of the month that could deprive fans of the most anticipated matches so far this season.
Earlier today, the Italian Professional Players’ Association announced that, due to the failure to sign a collective-bargaining agreement, all Serie A players will go on strike the weekend of September 25-26.&nbsp; That weekend has two high profile and anticipated matches, as defending champion Inter is set to visit scudetto contender AS Roma, while AC Milan hosts dark horse contender Genoa.
At issue is a proposal by the owners to limit a player’s ability to refuse a transfer.&nbsp; The proposal states that a player with more than a year on his contract cannot refuse a transfer if he is being transferred to “<a href="http:\/\/msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/europe/story/Serie-A-stars-to-go-on-strike" target="_blank">an equally competitive club</a>” that guarantees the same financial conditions.&nbsp; An example would be this offseason’s potential transfer of Fabio Grosso to AC Milan, when he refused to leave Juventus. Also, the players are allegedly upset with another proposal that would force players to be <a href="http:\/\/www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=333260" target="_blank">treated by team-appointed physicians</a> instead of their own doctors.
FIGC President Giancarlo Abete has called for a meeting Monday with himself, AIC representatives and Serie A leadership.&nbsp; But even if some agreement is reached, the strike will likely continue according to AIC representative (and Milan fullback) Massimo Oddo: “The players are fed up with being treated like objects and not like people. We are dealing with human rights here.”
This is the first players’ strike since the 1995 <a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosman_ruling" target="_blank">Bosman ruling</a> over player transfers.&nbsp; While strikes have been threatened in the past, this time it looks like the strike will definitely happen.&nbsp; I am sure we have not heard all sides of the debate, but the timing on this announcement could not be worse.&nbsp; Italy’s season is already behind that of England, Germany, and France and now faces another break four matches into the season.&nbsp; The next international break is two weeks after the strike, so by mid-October Serie A fans would have only seen their favorite club play five Serie A matches.
Ultimately, the fault lies with both sides for not resolving this situation over the summer, and as usual it is the fans who will suffer.&nbsp; But what do you think about the strike?

Serie A Players to Strike on 5th Matchday - World Soccer Talk

Serie A Players to Strike on 5th Matchday

<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/world-cup-trophy.jpg"></a><div><figure class="image"><a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/world-cup-trophy.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20090711_WST_1373_world-cup-trophy-600x450.webp&amp;width=600&amp;height=450" alt="world-cup-trophy" width="600" height="450" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-104136" srcset="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/06/world-cup-trophy-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/06/world-cup-trophy-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/06/world-cup-trophy-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/06/world-cup-trophy.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></figure></div>
To fans of Calcio it’s still as vivid as ever: The vision of Fabio Cannavaro lifting the World Cup aloft remains the proudest of Italian memories in a difficult recent history. But with one year to go before the 19th World Cup Final, Cannavaro and his Azzurri have a lot of hard work to do if the national team are to avoid an embarrassing fate in their defence of the trophy.
A shameful defeat to Egypt and a straightforward thumping by Brazil in the recent Confederations Cup have highlighted Italy’s fall from grace since that golden night in Berlin. Their attempts to evolve into a younger, fresher, more future-friendly outfit have been tempered by a sense of loyalty to the experienced campaigners who tasted glory three years ago.
So with 365 days left in Italy’s fourth reign at football’s summit, just how much catching up does Marcello Lippi’s squad have to do in order to launch a serious challenge for number five? How do the 23 involved in the Confederations Cup match up to the medal winners before them?
GOALKEEPERS:
What was most stark about Gigi Buffon’s recent claim that Julio Cesar is the best No.1 in Serie A was its widespread acceptance. In 2006 Buffon was the best goalkeeper in the world marshaling one of the world’s best defences. These days he’s suffering from playing behind a weaker back fours at both club and international levels. He’s still clearly the best Italy has to offer – and arguably remains in the world’s top 5 – but he now has flaws that weren’t as evident in ’06.
Behind him Marco Amelia has improved immensely, though he is still prone to errors (see New Zealand) but Massimo De Sanctis seems likely to be usurped by Federico Marchetti or even Andrea Consigli before next June rolls around.
VERDICT:
Buffon ’06 > ’09
Amelia ’09 > ’06
Peruzzi ’06 > De Sanctis ’09
DEFENCE:
Lippi’s biggest headache. Only three of the eight World Champion back line remain in the squad. All three are first-choice and all three are facing questions over their form. Skipper Cannavaro is no longer – and will never again be – the Berlin Wall. His two title-winning years at Real Madrid were laregly impressive, but his error-strewn final year in Spain came as a surprise to few. Fellow golden boys Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso both struggled after post-World Cup moves and have been unconvincing since their subsequent transfers to Milan and Lyon respectively.
The remaining full-back slots have been passed from Cristian Zaccardo and Massimo Oddo to Davide Santon and Andrea Dossena. Santon is already being touted as the next Beppe Bergomi whereas Doseena has looked completely out of his depth since his surprise capture by Liverpool.
Other than Cannavaro, the centre of defence has changed markedly. The supreme Nesta, surprise package Materazzi and sturdy stand-in Barzagli are fallen heroes due to a combination of injury, retirement, old age and poor form. Of their replacements only Giorgio Chiellini has the look of a true international, but even he had a rocky time in South Africa last month.
VERDICT:
Cannavaro ’06 > ’09
Nesta ’06 > Chiellini ’09
Materazzi ’06 > Legrottaglie ’09
Barzagli ’06 > Gamberini ’09
Zambrotta ’06 > ’09
Grosso ’06 > ’09
Santon ’09 > Zaccardo ’06
Oddo ’06 > Dossena ’09
MIDFIELD:
Of the 23 heroes in Germany nobody has improved more noticeably than Daniele De Rossi. Talented but tainted in 2006, the Roma midfielder is now an Azzurri skipper-in-the-making. Fellow champs Mauro Camoranesi, Reno Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo have struggled to recapture their world-conquering form. Gattuso continues to battle hard and Pirlo is looking at new ways to reform his game and thus prolong his career, but Camoranesi looks about ready for the reject bin.
Elsewhere the durable Angelo Palombo is a step up from one-season wonder Simone Barone whilst Riccardo Montolivo has started to impress in an Italy midfield still searching for someone to make the impact Simone Perrotta made at the Mondiali.
VERDICT:
De Rossi ’09 > ’06
Gattuso ’06 > ’09
Pirlo ’06 > ’09
Camoranesi ’06 > ’09
Perrotta ’06 > Montolivo ’09
Palombo ’09 > Barone ’06
FORWARDS
Italy’s change of formation over the last 36 months can be solely attributed to the lack of a No.10. Until Seba Giovinco turns potential into potency Lippi will be forced to look for other answers. Target men Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta remain regulars, with only Toni regressing since he reached the heady heights of a 31-goal season in Florence. But the notable names of Totti, Del Piero and Inzaghi have been replaced by Simone Pepe, Giuseppe Rossi and Fabio Quagliarella. Whilst Rossi and Quagliarella in particular have shown flashes of quality, none can claim to be adequate replacements for their predecessors just yet.
VERDICT:
Toni ’06 > ’09
Gilardino ’09 > ’06
Iaquinta ’09 > ’06
Inzaghi ’06 > Quagliarella ’09
Totti ’06 > Pepe ’09
Del Piero ’06 > Rossi ’09
So it would appear that the Azzurri are stronger in only six of the 23 spots available. Yes, there are 38 rounds of Serie A ahead which will give players time to improve. Yes, a few of the Under-21 squad which performed well in Sweden this summer may be included. But right now the players which Lippi trusts most are largely players who have already peaked. A year of intrigue lies ahead in the battle for a spot on the plane to South Africa.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Fabio Grosso"

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