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) was the scene of sad and pathetic excesses. Whether before the match, with many scuffles, after, with a journalist from France 3 who was allegedly attacked, but also during the match, with racist insults uttered by young ultras of the island club and the aggression of which the young Kenzo and his family were victims.
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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 was wearing the Olympian jersey, was attacked by Ajaccian supporters, as his mother, Amandine, tells Corse-Matin: "Since we thought we were safe, I allowed Kenzo to put on his jersey, my husband took him in his arms to show him the entrance of the players on the field. And everything went off the rails." A dozen fans of the ACA would then have headed to the dressing room. "They pushed my son and his head hit the railing. They hit my husband in the face, ripped off the little one's jersey and went to burn him. Before leaving the lodge, they even spat into the food that was available to us.
»Reached by phone by the daily Corse-Matin, Lisandru Leca, who represents the group of supporters of the Orsi Ribelli, denied part of the story of the young mother. "This is the father who wore the OM jersey and who taunted the supporters below. So indeed, a few people sitting in the Faedda stand went up, punched the father twice to make him remove the jersey before going down with the outfit. One hundred people in the gallery are able to testify to this effect. The Orsi Ribelli group intends to clarify the situation." For its part, AC Ajaccio issued a statement: "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 in the changing room area so that the child could realize his dream. These individuals do not in any way represent the values of our club and our island. Even the most extreme stupidity cannot excuse these behaviors! The club condemns with the utmost firmness these unspeakable acts! AC Ajaccio will shed light on these shameful acts. As soon as individuals have been identified by us, we will file a complaint against them.
»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 because of his tumor and he told me: 'Before I don't see anything, I want to see OM in Ajaccio.' He was so happy to have been received in April as a prince by all the partners we had mobilized, that he thought it was going to be magnificent. These fools traumatized him.
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