Although without the slightest stake on the sporting level, the meeting of the 38th day of Ligue 1 between Ajaccio and Olympique de Marseille (1-0) will have been the scene of sad and pathetic excesses. Whether it was before the match, with numerous scuffles, afterwards, with a journalist from France 3 who was allegedly attacked, but also during the match, with racist insults uttered by young ultras from the island club and the aggression whose victims were young Kenzo and his family.
Aged 8 and suffering from terminal cancer, this one, originally from Cassis, was invited with his family by the president of Air Corsica, Marie-Hélène Casanova-Servas, and the president of Rotary Parata, Sandra Peraldi, to realize his dream of seeing his favorite team, OM, play. And it was in the dressing room of the François-Coty stadium that the little boy, who wore the Olympian jersey, was attacked by Ajaccio supporters, as his mother, Amandine, told Corse-Matin: “Since we I thought I was safe, I allowed Kenzo to put on his jersey, my husband took him in his arms to show him the entry of the players onto the field. And everything went wrong.” A dozen ACA fans would have then headed to the box. “They pushed my son and his head hit the railing. They punched my husband in the face, ripped off the boy’s shirt and went to burn him. Before leaving the lodge, they even spat in the food that was available to us.
Reached by telephone by the daily Corse-Matin, Lisandru Leca, who represents the group of Orsi Ribelli supporters, denied part of the story of the young mother. “It was the father who wore the OM jersey and taunted the supporters underneath. So indeed, a few people seated in the Faedda stand came up, punched the father twice to make him take off the jersey before coming down with the outfit. One hundred people in the gallery are able to testify to this. The Orsi Ribelli group intends to clarify the situation. For its part, AC Ajaccio published a press release: “Kenzo and his parents, who came in the colors of Olympique de Marseille, were shamefully abused by individuals who broke into their dressing room. Alerted, the security of the club intervened. Kenzo and his family were taken care of by the club’s services and accompanied to the changing room area so that the child could fulfill his dream. These individuals in no way represent the values of our club and our island. Even the most extreme stupidity cannot excuse these behaviors! The club condemns these unspeakable acts in the strongest possible terms! AC Ajaccio will shed full light on these shameful actions. As soon as the individuals have been identified by our services, we will file a complaint against them.”
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Unfortunately, for Sandra Peraldi, the damage is done for little Kenzo, even if he was able to meet Matteo Guendouzi, one of his favorite players. “Kenzo is well aware that he is very seriously ill, he is losing his sight due to his tumor and he said to me: ‘Before I see nothing more, I want to see OM in Ajaccio.’ He was so happy to have been received in April like a prince by all the partners we had mobilized, that he thought it was going to be magnificent. Those fools traumatized him.”
