PSG were fined last year after fans sang the same song at their home ground, Parc des Princes, before a match against Marseille. This time, the stadium announcer tried but failed to interrupt the chant, saying the Qatari-owned club opposes homophobia and discrimination.

Homophobic chants are a persistent problem in French football, not limited to the Parc des Princes.

“Homophobic chants, clashes between supporters’ groups, attacks on law enforcement – we can no longer tolerate seeing intolerable behavior every weekend in sports,” Retaileau wrote on X earlier this week.

Unlike the Minister of Sports, who proposed a strict protocol in stadiums — aligned with FIFA’s procedure to abandon games if discriminatory chanting persists after an initial warning – the Home Secretary has argued that ‘collective punishment’ is ‘too light’.

“I want individual sanctions,” Retaileau said in an interview with a well-known French sports program.

Retaileau said undercover officers will now be present in the stands to identify those leading the chants. He also said France’s three most-attended clubs – PSG, Marseille and Lyon – must implement a nominal ticket system to more easily identify troublemakers. This policy is already in place in some stadiums, including Paris, although ID checks to verify ticket holders are not consistently enforced.