France’s football ethics body has urged supporters to stay neutral while nationwide student protests continue to draw international attention. The National Council for Football Ethics, known as the CNE, issued the call in a statement.
The demonstrations have been largely peaceful, but the police response has led to widespread accusations of brutality. Football fans in stadiums have voiced their backing for the students.
Police tactics and arrests during the protests
Officers have used large amounts of tear gas and batons to break up crowds. As of last week, more than 6,600 people had been arrested across the country, a number that is unusually high for a French protest movement.
A police tear gas grenade shattered a 14-year-old’s jaw and many of his teeth. A 15-year-old lost a hand in an incident involving a stun grenade, and other teenagers have suffered life-changing injuries that were blamed on police weaponry.
Banners displayed at Ligue 1 matches
During last week’s Ligue 1 match between Lens and Lyon, the home supporters unfurled a banner calling for an end to what it described as “disproportionate and systematic police violence”, according to the CNE. The council also said that at the half-hour mark of the PSG versus Le Mans game, fans displayed a banner reading: “Your militias repress; our youth resists.”
CNE stresses neutrality rules in sport
The ethics body said it understood why young fans, many of them students, might use matches to show support for the demonstrators. It stressed, however, that political neutrality is enshrined in sporting law, both through the Olympic Charter and FIFA statutes and at national level.
The CNE noted that any political, ideological, religious or trade union speech or display is banned, as are symbols or clothing that show such affiliations. “Sport should unite, not divide,” it said, calling on all supporters to uphold neutrality in every circumstance.
The council said its aim is to keep stadiums from becoming political or trade union battlegrounds, so they remain places of celebration and shared enjoyment centred on sport.
