Referee briefly stops French league match between PSG and Lyon after homophobic chants

AP Sports Writer

A French league soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon was briefly interrupted Sunday because of homophobic chanting by PSG fans. Referee Benoît Bastien stopped play in the 53rd minute at the Parc des Princes with host PSG leading 2-1 after the chants were heard. PSG captain Achraf Hakimi approached fans in the Auteuil stand behind one of the goals to ask them to stop. A message reminding fans that discriminatory chants are forbidden was then displayed on the stadium’s giant screens. Play eventually resumed after a few minutes. The chants in Paris were just the latest in a long series of similar incidents as French soccer authorities struggle to tackle the issue.