Former West Ham player Dimitri Payet has been accused of “slapping rival coach” after the video of his slap went viral, find out what exactly happened, and what punishments he could face
Dimitri Payet is a French footballer professional footballer who currently plays for Marseille in Ligue 1.
Dimitri Payet decides to slap Lens assistant manager Yannick Cahuzac, fight video goes viral
Payet, combien de matchs pour cette gifle sur Cahuzac ? pic.twitter.com/y2du4E57Ud
— Testard (@Carthagi_one) May 7, 2023
🚨🚨| JUST IN: The LFP Disciplinary Committee, which will meet on Thursday, was warned today about Payet's slap on Cahuzac on Saturday night. They are waiting to know if the officials' reports mentioned this gesture. If not, they could take up the matter & punish Payet. #TeamOM pic.twitter.com/Az44yJmVjy
— News OM 🇬🇧 (@NewsMarseille_) May 8, 2023
Dimitri Payet primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and is a set-piece specialist, known for his accurate, bending free kicks.
Dimitri Payet accused of slapping a rival coach
The whole incident occurred on Saturday night during Marseille’s Ligue 1 clash against Lens. During the match, an altercation took place after Lens’ Argentine full-back Facundo Medina shot the ball towards the Marseille bench.
Both sets of players and their respective coaching staff got involved in a brawl as tensions between them boiled up. The two groups eventually started pushing and shoving each other down near the touchline. While all this happened, Payet was at the centre of the attention despite not even starting the game during that time. Referee Clement Turpin had to come over and sort the situation by sending off a member of the Marseille staff and Lens’ assistant manager Yannick Cahuzac.
However, following the incident, reviews of the footage showed the ex-West Ham ace slapping Cahuzac. Following which, Lens boss Franck Haise tried informing the ref:
Monsieur Turpin! Monsieur Payet should receive a red card!
“Did you not see the slap?”
Payet however managed to escape any punishment. In fact, the 36-year-old later came off the bench to score the second goal for Marseille which helped them secure a 2-1 victory. Reports in France however, claim that Payet could now face a match ban for the rest of the season if authorities find him guilty for the slap on the rival coach.
Despite the loss, results from the other matches worked out in Lens’ favour. The club are currently in the second spot in the Ligue 1 table behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.