Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 9y

PSG mull action over controversial Bastia banner aimed at club's Qatari owners

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly considering making a complaint to police after Bastia fans unveiled a banner they considered offensive toward the French champions' Qatari owners during Saturday's Ligue 1 game.

PSG threw away a 2-0 lead to surprisingly lose 4-2 at the Stade Furiani, but the French champions' ire was not only limited to events on the pitch.

During the minute's silence for the victims of last week's terrorist attacks in Paris, home fans unfurled a banner which read "Qatar finances PSG... and terrorism."

According to RMC, which cites an unnamed club source, PSG are mulling over whether they should make an official complaint to a Bastia court over the incident.

The radio station also claimed the match delegate stated in his report that the banner remained in place for six minutes despite PSG's repeated demands for it to be removed immediately. The delegate reported no steward intervened and that the Stade Furiani's closed-circuit TV cameras were not recording at the time.

PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi returned from Doha overnight on Saturday to march on the streets of Paris alongside the estimated 1.6 million people who protested against the terrorist attacks, which claimed 17 lives.

French international striker Bafetimbi Gomis told RTL that he had dedicated his goal in Swansea City's 1-1 draw with West Ham United to his compatriots.

The former Lyon forward, 29, waved a French flag after finding the net and told RTL his Premier League club had bought it for him as a gesture of solidarity with his country.

"I owed it to myself to score a goal for the French. I brandished the French flag after my goal, I wanted to show my pain and that I spared a thought for France," he explained. "What happened touched me deeply. I had to take a position, show an example.

"The club supported me. Two hours before the game, they bought me a French flag. France is a country that has given me a lot. France is made up of different colours, religions, and that's why we love it. We have to stay united."

^ Back to Top ^