Marseille, Lyon presidents suspended for war of words

Paris - The presidents of French clubs Marseille and Lyon have been handed one-game suspensions for comments made during a 1-1 draw between the sides in September that was marred by violence.

Marseille's Vincent Labrune and Lyon's Jean-Michel Aulas will be banned from any involvement in their club's games against Nice and Saint-Etienne respectively on November 8 after the French league (LFP) confirmed the suspension on Thursday.

The game at the Stade Velodrome on September 20 was held up for around half an hour in the second half as objects, including bottles and cups, rained down from the stands.

Marseille fans also burned an effigy of their former hero Mathieu Valbeuna, now turning out for Lyon.

Before the media, Labrune tried to play down the incidents and appeared to blame refereeing decisions -- which he said "factually...always, always (go) the same way" -- for sparking the trouble.

Aulas responded by calling his counterpart a "clown".

Three Marseille supporters have since been handed prison sentences of between four and six months for their parts in the violence, while OM were ordered to close parts of the Velodrome for subsequent matches.