Dimitri Payet hit with water bottle AGAIN, Lyon vs Marseille match suspended

Former West Ham star Dimitri Payet suffered a major injury scare during Lyon vs Marseille football match after being struck by a bottle thrown from the stands. According to French League officials before the Lyon vs Marseille match Payet was subject of discriminatory insults and was even taunted by Lyon fans during the warmup.  The match had to finally be abandoned with a 0-0 scoreline. This was not the first time that Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle during a football match.  A similar incident happened during the match between Nice and Marseille. Payet was hit by a bottle in that match but, he threw it back at the fans. 

Dimitri Payet was hit on the head by a bottle of water thrown from the stands while he was taking a corner kick. The incident happened in the 5th minute of the match and as soon as Dimitri Payet was hit by the bottle, he collapsed to the ground, with the score at 0-0. The midfielder though was able to get up after receiving treatment. The referee ordered players to head back to the locker room with play suspended.

With both fans and players waiting for about 75 minutes, a stadium announcement said that play would resume but also warned that the match will definitely be halted if there’s another incident. While Lyon's players jogged back onto the pitch after the announcement, Marseille players decided to stay back in their dressing room, after Dimitri Payet attack which left the player shocked. Lyon players warmed up for about 10 minutes before going back to the locker room. About two hours after kickoff, it was announced that the game had been abandoned.

French League issues statement after attack on Dimitri Payet

The French league has put the blame on the host club and local authorities, saying the league did its best to deter violence with sanctions such as point deductions and games played behind closed doors.

“Those new grave incidents are a reminder that security at games is the responsibility of the hosting club and of the local authorities, who have the final say about the resumption or abandonment of a game,” French league officials said in a press release. “In such circumstances, the French league regrets the decision to (try to) resume the Lyon-Marseille game by the regional prefect", said officials.

The statement from the French League further said, " repeated grave incidents destroy the image of the French league in France and abroad. After those new extremely grave events, the disciplinary commission of the French league will gather for an urgent meeting tomorrow.”