At the offices of France’s Ligue de Football Professionel on Rue Léo Delibes, the hope had been that Thursday would deliver a first step towards rapprochement, reports The Guardian.
Representatives from anti-homophobia groups were due to meet delegates from the national association of supporters at the league’s headquarters in Paris’ 16th arrondissement. So confirmation the talks had been postponed at the request of the fans’ groups prompted grumbling frustration.
The first few weeks of the domestic campaign have been plagued by what, at first glance, would appear to be a troubling escalation in homophobic incidents in stadiums. A little under a month into the season there have been at least 20 reports of homophobic chanting or slogans documented at games in the top two divisions and League Cup.
The first half of the Ligue 1 match between Nice and Marseille last week was halted for 10 minutes after home supporters at the Allianz Riviera unfurled two banners bearing homophobic messages, with a third displayed later in the match. Fans also aimed anti-gay chants at the LFP.
The incidents drew condemnation as “unacceptable” from the respective managers, Patrick Vieira and André Villas-Boas, as well as from the France coach, Didier Deschamps.
There had been similar scenes at Nîmes the previous weekend, and there would be again two days after events on the Côte d’Azur, with Metz’s game against Paris Saint-Germain halted for a few minutes midway through the opening period.