Lent.az
Two fans of the "Saint-Étienne" football club have been sentenced to suspended prison terms for injuring a referee by throwing coins at him during a Ligue 1 match.
Lent.az reports that the Saint-Étienne Criminal Court today sentenced two 28-year-old men with no prior convictions to 7 months suspended imprisonment.
The incident occurred in April during the derby between "Saint-Étienne" and "Lyon" at the "Geoffroy-Guichard" stadium. Assistant referee Mahdi Rahmouni suffered a bump on his head after being hit by a two-cent coin and was unable to work for a day. The match was suspended for 40 minutes when "Saint-Étienne" was leading 1-0, and the team eventually won 2-1.
Both fans confessed to their guilt and apologized. They explained their actions by the influence of alcohol and the emotional tension in the derby. During the trial, civil claims were also filed by the French Football Federation and the Professional Football League.
