Marseille mayor condemns ‘racist’ banner displayed by Nice supporters

MARSEILLE, Jan 27: Marseille mayor Benoît Payan has condemned the offensive banners displayed by Nice supporters during Sunday night’s match against Marseille and called on French league (LFP) officials to take action. One banner held up by a group of hardcore Nice fans provoked the ire of Payan. It read: “The sun is setting on the city of Nice… let the rat hunt begin.”
“Racist remarks cannot be tolerated in a stadium. I’m asking the LFP not to let this happen,” Payan wrote on X, adding to his message a picture of the banner.
According to French media reports, another banner targeted former Nice player Neal Maupay, who played for the club for eight years before joining Marseille. The match was also stopped briefly in the first half when Nice supporters were asked to stop their homophobic chanting. Nice beat second-placed Marseille 2-0 to move up to fourth place in the French league standings.
Nice is owned by Manchester United part-owner Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos company, which completed a takeover of the French club in 2019. (AP)