Lyon coach Fabio Grosso reveals he needed 13 stitches to his face after suffering gruesome injuries as the team bus was attacked by hooligans in Marseille
- Marseille hooligans attacked Lyon’s team bus on Sunday night
- Gross and his assistant were left injured by shards of glass
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GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING
Lyon manager Fabio Grosso has revealed the extent of the facial injuries he suffered when the team coach was attacked by hooligans in Marseille.
The 2006 World Cup winner told Sky Sports in Italy he received a total of 13 stitches to the area around his left eye.
A picture of Grosso shared on social media by the broadcaster shows the former Italy fullback with his left eye barely open as a result of the injury and a stitches clearly visible above his eyebrow.
Grosso was left with shards of glass embedded in his face after a barrage of rocks and bottles smashed the vehicle’s windows as it arrived in Marseille for Sunday night’s Ligue 1 fixture.
The Italian and his assistant Raffaele Longo were both injured and required medical treatment upon arrival at the Stade Velodrome, with the match subsequently postponed.
Lyon manager Fabio Grosso required 13 stitches after suffering severe injuries as the team bus was attacked by hooligans in Marseille
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According to Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio, the outcome could have been even worse for Grosso.
A bottle full of beer just missed his left eye, opening up a cut near to his eyebrow as it brushed past.
Grosso was left bleeding profusely after shards of glass struck his face.
He was later seen heavily bandaged having received medical attention once the bus arrived at the stadium. His assistant Longo reportedly suffered an eye injury from the flying glass.
Lyon club president John Textor, speaking on Amazon Prime Video, said Grosso ‘couldn’t hold a conversation [because] he has shards of glass in his face.’
Textor added: ‘I am very angry – our players, our coach, prepared for tonight and the fans wanted to see the game played.
‘Once the window was broken, other projectiles hit him, just above the eye. There were beer bottles, which hit him on the forehead.’
The Lyon players looked visibly shaken as they disembarked from the bus and they opted not to play the game.
Grosso was pictured bloodied and covered in shards of glass after the attack on Sunday
The Italian coach required medical attention after shards of glass were embedded in his face
Grosso was pictured wearing bandages after receiving treatment at the Stade Velodrome
Six buses carrying visiting Lyon fans were also targeted with a video showing a group throwing objects including fireworks at one of their vehicles.
Police in Marseille confirmed nine assailants had been arrested and that five officers had suffered injuries in the skirmishes that ensued on Sunday night.
The rivalry between Marseille and Lyon dates back to 1945 and is branded the ‘Choc des Olympiques’, which translates to ‘Clash of the Olympics’, and has often been a combustible fixture off the pitch.
In a statement, Lyon noted incidents such as Sunday night’s were far from isolated.
‘Lyon regrets that this type of situation occurs every years in Marseille,’ it read, adding the club ‘invites the authorities to take stock of the seriousness and repetition of this type of incident before an even more serious tragedy occurs.’
Marseille president Pablo Longoria described the attacks as ‘completely unacceptable’, with the club issuing a statement condemning ‘this violent behaviour which has no place in the world of football and in society.’
The incident drew widespread condemnation from the French press, while the country’s sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera described the scenes as ‘revolting’.
‘These images are revolting. Seeing the stoned bus like that, the bloody face of Fabio Grosso,’ she said.
Several windows were left shattered on the Lyon team bus following the attack in Marseille
Lyon fans tried to break the net preventing them from accessing the pitch inside the ground
The Ligue 1 match was postponed with the French authorities set to decide when it will be replayed and whether supporters can attend
‘These are unacceptable acts which go against the very values of football and sport.
‘I hope that the investigation will be carried out quickly, that the perpetrators are found and they are severely punished.’
Grosso has earned just one point in four games since replacing Laurent Blanc in charge of Lyon last month, leaving the club bottom of the table in Ligue 1 and still looking for their first league win of the season.
Marseille, meanwhile, are ninth.
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