French soccer game marred by homophobic, racist chants. It’s an ongoing problem

A giant screen shows a write "stop discriminatory chants - the match can be stopped and lost for the club" during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Marseille at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Homophobic and racist chanting during the biggest match in the French league between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille again highlighted French soccer’s inability to properly deal with both issues.

A French campaign group on Monday called on the country’s authorities to punish the discriminatory singing, while Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot, a former PSG player who was treated badly throughout the game, took aim at the club’s president.

The abuse tarnished PSG’s 3-1 win over its bitter rival in what is known as “Le Classique.”

French referees have the power to stop play if fans chant homophobic and racist slurs in stadiums. But Sunday’s match at the Parc des Princes was not paused by referee Clément Turpin — who is considered one of the best in Europe — despite repeated incidents.

The Rouge Direct group urged the ministers of sport, interior and justice, as well as officials from the French soccer federation and league, to “ensure that these illegal chants are finally severely punished.”

The group posted footage on social media in which hardcore PSG fans can be heard chanting and shouting insults at Marseille. The lyrics of one of the songs compared their rivals to “rats”.

“In the mud there are rats. In the sewers there are rats. Rats are everywhere. They are the Marseillais,” they sang.

The word “rat” can be used in a racist and derogatory way in the French language and the song was widely seen as referencing Marseille’s large Arab minority.

Rabiot targeted

There was also homophobic chanting from PSG fans targeting Marseille and in particular Rabiot, who returned to his former team to a hostile reception.

Paris-born Rabiot made more than 200 appearances for PSG from 2012-19 and has been one of Marseille’s best players this season.

His decision to play for Marseille after his departure from Juventus has been seen as a betrayal by PSG fans.

Rabiot’s mother Véronique, who is also his agent, told Radio France that she will be lodging a complaint after PSG fans displayed insulting banners directed at her and her son.

“I don’t understand why the match wasn’t stopped,” she said, denouncing double standards. “I don’t understand why nobody is outraged. Why are some matches stopped and not others?”

Her son later landed a blow to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in a message on social media.

“Insulting a mother, and a dead father...” Rabiot wrote. “You have to pay for everything one day. You won’t be taking it to heaven. Believe me. Nasser, you can have all the money in the world and even more, but you can’t buy class.”

The Rouge Direct group said the derogatory chanting should be tackled more seriously, especially as it was broadcast and seen by millions of TV spectators including children.

Action plan and sanctions

The discriminatory chants at the Parc des Princes were the latest in a series of similar incidents. Homophobic insults often heard at Ligue 1 matches have been tolerated for a long time by club officials.

Following a match at the Parc des Princes in 2019 between PSG and Marseille, during which home fans used homophobic insults, the league launched an action plan allowing spectators to report sexist, homophobic or racist incidents they witness.

French clubs have been sanctioned with fines, and the league’s disciplinary commission also ordered the closure of stands for similar cases in recent years.

French law provides for up to one year’s imprisonment and a 45,000 euros ($47,600) fine when anti-gay insults are made in public.

Earlier this season, PSG was forced to close part of the Parc des Princes as punishment for homophobic chanting by its fans. Marseille supporters were banned from attending Sunday’s match. They, too, have been criticized for their repeated homophobic chanting at the Velodrome Stadium.

PSG extended its lead at the top to 19 points with eight rounds remaining.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press