The reported incident following the Lyon vs. Saint-Etienne match in French Ligue 1 has created a contentious situation, with conflicting accounts from differAccording to Africa Top Sports.com, Lyon’s president, Jean-Michel Aulas, claims he accidentally received a blow during post-match exchanges. Aulas states, “There were a few exchanges of blows. I tried to separate some of them, and I took a bad hit.” He alleges that Fabrice Grange, a former Lyon player and member of the France national team, attempted to strike their team doctor. While attempting to intervene, Aulas asserts that Stéphane Ruffier, the goalkeeper, delivered a powerful blow to his back.
On the other hand, Ruffier denies the accusations, saying, “I did not punch him, even less from behind. I just pushed him away, yes. But it’s all Jean-Michel Aulas. He’s a liar. It never crossed my mind to go and hit an opponent. It’s not part of my education. And there, I would have hit a sixty-year-old man. It does not make sense. I have a good head on my shoulders.”
Jean-Michel Aulas maintains his version of the events, emphasizing that he was not attempting to punch anyone. He claims to have suffered a “large hematoma” from the incident.
The conflicting narratives leave uncertainty about who is telling the truth and who might be misrepresenting or exaggerating the events that transpired during the post-match altercation.
