Four men were taken into custody after the interruption of the Bordeaux-Rodez match, crucial for the outcome of Ligue 2 on Friday evening, including the alleged attacker of a Ruthenian player, we learned on Saturday from the wooden floor. The police arrested this Bordeaux supporter who admitted to having descended on the field and having pushed Rodez winger Lucas Buades by the throat, when the latter was celebrating the goal of the opener in the 22nd minute.
The player collapsed to the ground at the foot of the ultras stand at the Matmut Atlantique stadium, while the intruder was quickly brought under control by the club's security services. According to referee Nicolas Rainville, who decided to stop the match, Lucas Buades suffered from a concussion.
⚽ FOOTBALL: Serious incident during the Bordeaux-Rodez match, which has just been definitively stopped. Lucas Buades, who had just opened the scoring for Rodez, was attacked by an individual. The player was rushed to hospital.
The supporter involved, in his 40s, was taken into police custody for "entering a playing area of a sports enclosure affecting the safety of people", then for "premeditated violence resulting in a incapacity for work (ITT) less than eight days, "detailed the Bordeaux prosecutor's office to Agence France-Presse.
“He admitted the facts and apologized. He said he was a little "distracted" and felt like he was taunted," said Olivier Étienne, deputy public prosecutor. “At the end of the investigation, we will give a criminal response to these facts […] This is unacceptable behavior, it is violence that has no place. According to the daily newspaper Sud-Ouest, the defendant is a resident of Annecy, another club "victim" of the events of the evening since if Rodez's victory were confirmed, the Haute-Savoie formation would be relegated to National.
The other custody concerns a man who insulted and hit a steward, as well as two spectators who entered the playing area, a less serious offense. The latter were released on Saturday, said Olivier Étienne.
According to the prosecution, Lucas Buades was only examined by his club doctor and an emergency doctor present at the stadium; a subsequent medical examination should establish the exact duration of a possible ITT. The player, who did not go to the hospital, left with his teammates in the Rodez bus.
Saturday, only a complaint from the Girondins de Bordeaux had been filed. In a press release, the group of supporters of the Ultramarines recognizes that the alleged attacker is indeed one of its members, frequenting the South Bend "for 30 years". "Our comrade, known for his calm and his measure, had traveled, like others, hundreds of kilometers to see the match. Passion has taken over reason", write the Bordeaux ultras, presenting their "sincere apologies" for this "nightmare".
Press release, June 3, 2023. pic.twitter.com/MgT8M3vU7W
They nevertheless regret the decision to stop the match, "largely disproportionate" in their eyes, calling into question "the alleged seriousness of the injury" of Lucas Buades. The Professional Football League (LFP) will convene its Disciplinary Committee on Monday to study the follow-up to be given to the end of this meeting, decisive for the rise on the Girondin side, for the maintenance on the Ruthenian side.
With the promotion of Le Havre (1st, 75 pts) and the victory of Metz (2nd, 72 pts) on Friday evening, Bordeaux (3rd, 69 pts) is now suspended from this disciplinary procedure and may fear a decision that would torpedo its dreams of recovery in the elite.
