French club Lyon has threatened to sue their own supporters if they keep depicting manager Rudi Garcia as a clown on social media.
The French top-flight outfit put this statement on their website: “Olympique Lyonnais informs that the club will now file a complaint for all the content, posted or shared on its social networks, which may constitute insult, defamation, threat, harassment or incitement to hatred or violence.”
“It is our duty to mobilize to fight against discrimination and hate speech, online and in the field.”
Club president Jean-Michel Aulas has also been shown as a clown on social media.
The statement has wildly backfired for Lyon increasing the number of Clown images since the treatment.
While there is no suggestion West Ham would follow such drastic action they did send legal letters to broadcasters and journalists which culminated in a public apology from Sky Sports. They also banned supporter Cameron Robson for wearing a GSB Out teeshirt before thinking better of it and reducing the ban to two matches.