The halls of the Groupama stadium, where Olympique Lyonnais (OL) plays at home, have a new group of supporters: the 69 Pirates (or Six Neuf Pirates, SNP). But his arrival continues to raise questions and, above all, strong tensions. Even serious incidents. Sunday, November 10, OL hosts Saint-Etienne on the 11thmy of League 1.
claiming “anti-racist”The members of the 69 Pirates once again highlight the identity-based and far-right reputation of the historical groups that support the football club led for a long time by Jean-Michel Aulas. The emergence of the SNP constitutes a challenge to measure the tolerance capacity of the two main supporters’ associations, Bad Gones and Lyon 1950.
It is also a matter of concern for John Textor, the American coach of Olympique Lyonnais, expected in this delicate management of the relationship between the club with seven French league titles and its turbulent fans. Because the debate goes far beyond the stands of the Groupama stadium, OL’s headquarters located on the outskirts of Lyon, in Décines-Charpieu (Rhône).
“OL’s image is damaged by racism”
The idea of a new group of fans germinated in October 2023, after the incidents in the stands of the Stade-Vélodrome, in Marseille, when two OL fans, present in the parking lot reserved for visitors, brandished flags and made gestures in reference . to Nazism. Convicted in the first instance of inciting racial hatred, the two thirty-year-olds appealed. They are considered members of the Mezza Lyon, a small group not recognized by the club and which claims an uninhibited far-right ideology.
“When we saw that, we told ourselves that this couldn’t go on any longer. OL’s image is completely damaged by racism. As soon as we say that we are supporters of OL, they assimilate us to the extreme right, explains Mathis (his name has been changed). There is a silent majority that wants to end this reputation. We would like to come to the stadium in a calm and familiar atmosphere. »
The young man, whom we meet in a popular neighborhood of Lyon, wants to remain anonymous “fear of threats”. This worker is one of the initiators of the 69 Pirates. The association, officially created in June 2024, aims to “anti-racist”while he said to himself “apolitical”.
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