A French football club has said it will be handing down a lifetime ban to one of its supporters who was seen to make a Nazi salute at Champions League game against Manchester City, as police said it would investigate the incident as a "hate crime".
At the end of the Champions League group stage match between the two teams at Manchester’s Etihad stadium, which Lyon won 2-1, a Lyon fan was filmed making a Nazi salute towards Manchester City supporters.
Nazi Salute in the Lyon end tonight. No need for that in football. pic.twitter.com/315YAqVkny
— 🤴🏼 (@DrCugat) September 19, 2018
A statement from the Greater Manchester Police confirmed that "officers are aware of a video circulating on social media, believed to be filmed at the MCFC v Lyon match on Thursday 20 September 2018, which appears to show a fan performing an offensive gesture.
"This is being treated as a hate crime and enquiries are ongoing."
Chief Inspector Gareth Parkin, Silver Commander for the Manchester City v Lyon fixture, said: “This is absolutely abhorrent behaviour and it has no place in our community, and no place in sport.
“We are committed to policing racism at football matches, and hate crimes of any sort will simply not be tolerated.
“We will be working closely with French police and both clubs to identify the person responsible.”
In a statement released on Thursday, the French side said: “Olympique Lyonnais has seen a video that circulates on social networks. The supporter in question is being identified by officials of Olympique Lyonnais.
“As soon as he is identified, he will be excluded for life from the Groupama Stadium [Lyon’s home ground] and travel for club matches.”
Earlier this year, the French club was informed it could face a possible ban from European competition as a result of racist behaviour from fans.
French sports paper L’Equipe quoted a UEFA official, who said the racism allegation stemmed from Nazi symbols displayed inside the stadium, Nazi salutes and an attack on a non-white spectator.
In 2013, three Tottenham Hotspur fans were injured in what was described as an antisemitic attack in Lyon when the teams met for a Europa League match.
Up to 50 masked hooligans attacked a pub in the city, smashing doors and throwing projectiles at Spurs fans. Eyewitnesses also said that the attackers had made Nazi salutes.
