Bottle throwing incident at Lyon forces ground closure and behind-closed-doors fixture

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It was one of the most disturbing images seen at a football ground in a long time, but sadly violence in Ligue Un is becoming all too common these days.

On this occasion, a full bottle of water was pelted at Marseille captain, Dimitri Payet, by fans of Lyon, leading to the match being postponed.

This Monday it was announced that Lyon would be subject to further repercussions.

According to Get French Football News, the governing body for the top two leagues in France have decided that Lyon will have to play their next home game against Reims played behind closed doors.

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Given the seriousness of the offence, it will be a surprise if the sanction remains at one game.

Payet was incredibly lucky to have been able to walk away from the incident, albeit after a full five minutes of care from the match doctor.

As match commentators noted at the time, the authorities need to send out a message, via sanctions, that this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable.

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