PSG win at Metz after play stopped due to homophobic banner

by Reuters
Monday, 2 September 2019 15:33 GMT

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Metz v Paris St Germain - Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz, France - August 30, 2019 Fans inside the stadium hold up banners prompting referee Frank Schneider to temporarily halt the match REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Image Caption and Rights Information
The homophobic banner was the fourth such incident to occur in a French game this season

METZ, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Paris St Germain picked up a third win in four Ligue 1 games by beating Metz 2-0 away on Friday as yet another French game this season witnessed a homophobic incident which led to play being temporarily stopped.

The champions took the lead in the 11th minute when Angel di Maria scored a penalty by sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, having spurned a spot kick in last week’s 4-0 win over Toulouse.

Play was briefly halted by the referee midway through the first half for a few minutes due to a banner held up by the home supporters which was deemed to be homophobic.

It was the fourth such incident to occur in a French game this season after the French Football Federation pledged to crack down on homophobic chanting.

PSG’s Cameroon forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting doubled the lead with a header shortly before halftime, his third goal in two league games this term after his brace against Toulouse.

The victory put PSG provisionally top of Ligue 1 on nine points ahead of the rest of the weekend fixtures. Metz have four points from their four matches so far. (Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Openly is an initiative of the Thomson Reuters Foundation dedicated to impartial coverage of LGBT+ issues from around the world.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Update cookies preferences