PSG win over Marseille marred by homophobic, racist chants. It's an ongoing problem in French soccer

Homophobic and racist chanting during the biggest match in the French league between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille again highlighted French soccer’s inability to properly deal with both issues.

A French campaign group on Monday called on the country’s authorities to punish the discriminatory singing, while Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot, a former PSG player who was treated badly throughout the game, took aim at the club's president.

The abuse tarnished PSG's 3-1 win over its bitter rival in what is known as “Le Classique.”

French referees have the power to stop play if fans chant homophobic and racist slurs in stadiums. But Sunday's match at the Parc des Princes was not paused by referee Clément Turpin — who is considered one of the best in Europe — despite repeated incidents.

The Rouge Direct group urged the ministers of sport, interior and justice, as well as officials from the French soccer federation and league, to “ensure that these illegal chants are finally severely punished.”

The group posted footage on social media in which hardcore PSG fans can be heard chanting and shouting insults at Marseille. The lyrics of one of the songs compared their rivals to “rats”.

“In the mud there are rats. In the sewers there are rats. Rats are everywhere. They are the Marseillais,” they sang.

The word “rat” can be used in a racist and derogatory way in the French language and the song was widely seen as referencing Marseille’s large Arab minority.

There was also homophobic chanting from PSG fans targeting Marseille and in particular Rabiot, who returned to his former team to a hostile reception.

Paris-born Rabiot made more than 200 appearances for PSG from 2012-19 and has been one of Marseille’s best players this season.

His decision to play for Marseille after his departure from Juventus has been seen as a betrayal by PSG fans.

Rabiot's mother Véronique, who is also his agent, told Radio France that she will be lodging a complaint after PSG fans displayed insulting banners directed at her and her son.

“I don’t understand why the match wasn’t stopped,” she said, denouncing double standards. “I don’t understand why nobody is outraged. Why are some matches stopped and not others?”

Her son later landed a blow to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in a message on social media.

“Insulting a mother, and a dead father...” Rabiot wrote. “You have to pay for everything one day. You won’t be taking it to heaven. Believe me. Nasser, you can have all the money in the world and even more, but you can’t buy class.”

The Rouge Direct group said the derogatory chanting should be tackled more seriously, especially as it was broadcast and seen by millions of TV spectators including children.

The discriminatory chants at the Parc des Princes were the latest in a series of similar incidents. Homophobic insults often heard at Ligue 1 matches have been tolerated for a long time by club officials.

Following a match at the Parc des Princes in 2019 between PSG and Marseille, during which home fans used homophobic insults, the league launched an action plan allowing spectators to report sexist, homophobic or racist incidents they witness.

French clubs have been sanctioned with fines, and the league’s disciplinary commission also ordered the closure of stands for similar cases in recent years.

French law provides for up to one year's imprisonment and a 45,000 euros ($47,600) fine when anti-gay insults are made in public.

Earlier this season, PSG was forced to close part of the Parc des Princes as punishment for homophobic chanting by its fans. Marseille supporters were banned from attending Sunday's match. They, too, have been criticized for their repeated homophobic chanting at the Velodrome Stadium.

PSG extended its lead at the top to 19 points with eight rounds remaining.

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PSG's supporters cheer prior to the start of the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Marseille at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

PSG's supporters cheer prior to the start of the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Marseille at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

PSG's supporters cheer prior to the start of the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Marseille at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

PSG's supporters cheer prior to the start of the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Marseille at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

PSG fans celebrate after the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

PSG's supporters cheer prior to the start of the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Marseille at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

A giant screen shows a write "stop discriminatory chants - the match can be stopped and lost for the club" during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Marseille at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, saying it was hitting Hamas targets in its heaviest assault in the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the strikes killed at least 200 people. Khalil Degran, a spokesman for the ministry based at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, provided the figure.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in ongoing talks to extend the ceasefire. It was not immediately clear if the operation was a one-time pressure tactic or if the 17-month-old war was being resumed altogether.

Hamas warned that Israel’s new airstrikes breached their ceasefire and put the fate of hostages in jeopardy.

Here's the latest:

A senior Hamas official says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to launch widespread strikes on the Gaza Strip amounts to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages held there.

In a statement early Tuesday, Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, accused Netanyahu of resuming the war to try and save his far-right governing coalition.

“Netanyahu’s decision to return to war is a decision to sacrifice the (Israeli) occupation’s captives and a death sentence against them,” he said.

He said Israel didn’t respect its commitments in the ceasefire deal reached in January and urged mediators to “reveal facts” on which side broke the agreement.

National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the militant group “could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war.”

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading mediation efforts along with Egypt and Qatar, had earlier warned that Hamas must release living hostages immediately “or pay a severe price.”

Israeli officials said the latest operation was open-ended and was expected to expand.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the “Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza tonight.”

“As President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran — all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel, but also the United States of America — will see a price to pay: All hell will break lose,” Leavitt continued, speaking to Fox News on Monday evening.

Leavitt is one of three administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First- and Fifth-Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

A dead person killed during an Israeli army strike is taken into the hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday March 18, 2025.(AP Photo/ Mohammad Jahjouh)

Palestinians walk amid the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians walk surrounded by the rubble of destroyed homes and building in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)