Homophobic chants spoiled the “classic” of Ligue 1 football between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Olympique de Marseille, on September 24, at the Parc des Princes. On Wednesday November 8, several associations announced in a press release that they had filed a complaint against Amazon Prime, the broadcaster of the match.
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According to the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Etienne Deshoulières, Mousse and Stop Homophobia will join the LGBT Family procedure, launched in the morning. The simple complaint, filed with the Paris judicial court, targets the offenses of insults and public provocations of hatred or violence towards a group of people because of their sexual orientation.
“In the replay” of the meeting by Amazon Prime, “It is possible to hear several chants from supporters coming from the stands. Some of these songs have a pronounced homophobic character”argues the text.
The plaintiffs point out that“in the event of live broadcast of content, the publication director is not responsible for the comments”, but this is no longer the case when it comes to a rebroadcast. However, Amazon Prime subscribers could still watch the “classic” again on demand, which ended in a big victory for the host club (4-0).
“Homophobia has no place in sport”
According to a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP) present in the stadium that evening, thousands of people chanted discriminating slogans for around ten minutes. PSG was sanctioned by the disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League, which ordered the closure of the Auteuil stand for one match and one suspended match.
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“Homophobia has no place in sport or in society and we condemn it, like all forms of discrimination, with the greatest firmness”, reacted an Amazon spokesperson, contacted by AFP. The American giant clarified that the match was no longer available on its platform at the time of the announcement of this complaint and that it in no way endorsed the comments or behavior that may be made by certain supporters.
A similar complaint had already been filed by the same associations and for the same reasons in mai.