Lyon-Marseille match abandoned after Dimitri Payet hit by bottle from stands

A Ligue 1 football match between Lyon and Marseille was abandoned after a player was hit on the head by a bottle of water hurled from the stands.

Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet -- formerly of West Ham United -- collapsed after he was struck while preparing to take a corner kick.

With the score at 0-0, the referee suspended the game after only a few minutes and took the players inside.

After a wait of about 75 minutes, a stadium announcement said the match would resume but warned that it would "definitely be halted if there’s another incident”. Lyon's players warmed up for about 10 minutes before returning to the changing room.

But Marseille players stayed in their dressing room, reluctant to resume the game, with Payet said to be shocked by the incident. About two hours after kick-off on Sunday evening, the match was abandoned.

Lyon has been ordered by the French Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) to close their stadium until definitive sanctions have been decided on, expected to be December 8. It means Lyon could play their next home game against Reims behind closed doors, with no fans in attendance.

“My sporting decision has always been to not resume the match,” referee Ruddy Buquet told Amazon Prime Video.

“A player was physically hit. It is our duty to protect football players. We are responsible for their safety, that’s the reason why the final decision was made.”

Buquet then explained why it took so long to abandon the match.

“There are so many factors to take into account. There is a packed stadium, there are players to evacuate," Buquet said. "Those are important factors in terms of security.”

Payet was taunted by Lyon fans during the warmup, and was the target of discriminatory insults, according to French league