Nice paid tribute to Emiliano Sala: minute of applause for the Argentine during a Ligue One match

The Nice stadium, as planned, paid tribute this Saturday during the Ligue 1 against Lille with a minute of applause in memory of Emiliano Sala, an Argentine striker who died in 2019 after a plane crash, three days after some chants that outraged French football.

On Wednesday, during the Ligue 1 match between Nice-Saint-Etienne, four days after Nantes won the Coupe de France against Nice, some OGCN supporters launched a humiliating chant against the memory of Sala, a former Argentine striker from Nantes.

”He is an Argentine who does not swim well, Emiliano underwater”, launched a part of the Allianz Riviera public in the 9th minute of that game, parodying a chant that Nantes fans sing in honor of their former 9 in every game and in that same minute.

That act sparked outrage and rejection in French football. Before Saturday’s game, 15,000 T-shirts with the image of Sala’s face were distributed by the club to spectators.

In the 9th minute, an image of the Argentine appeared on the two giant screens in the stadium. The audience then began to applaud.