Four Paris Saint-Germain players have been handed a one-match suspended sentence by the French league's discipline commission for offensive chants aimed at football rival Marseille after a league match last month.
Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Randal Kolo Muani, and Layvin Kurzawa were questioned by the commission after they were filmed using insults while celebrating at the end of a 4-0 win against Marseille. The four players issued apologies.
“The club regrets that the committee has opted for an excessive and collective measure likely to undermine the dialogue and prevention work undertaken by the club with associations, institutions, and supporters,” PSG said in a statement, adding that it would not appeal the sanction.
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.
Also, French law provides for up to one year’s imprisonment and a 45,000 euros ($47,600) fine when offensive or racist comments are made in public.
Football authorities across leagues have struggled for a long time to find appropriate ways of tackling issues around offensive or racist chants, often heard at league matches.
