Saturday 31 August 2019 00:39, UK
Paris Saint-Germain's game at Metz was briefly stopped after a banner perceived to be homophobic was unfurled in the stands, the second such incident in Ligue 1 in the space of three days.
The reigning champions were ahead after 11 minutes through Angel Di Maria's penalty but shortly afterwards play was halted by referee Frank Schneider when an offensive sign was spotted in the home end.
After a delay of around five minutes, the match got back under way and PSG doubled their lead just before half-time, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting the goalscorer.
On Wednesday, Nice's clash with Marseille was also held up when two homophobic signs appeared in the stands.
Earlier this month, referee Mehdi Mokhtari stopped a second-division match between Nancy and Le Mans for about a minute after an initial appeal made over the speakers to stop homophobic chanting failed to have an effect.
The French league told referees before the start of the season to stop games in such cases and has considered also introducing a list of banned words inside stadiums.
PSG won the game 2-0 to move above Rennes at the top of the league ahead of Saturday's fixtures.
Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani were forced off with injuries against Toulouse last weekend and were not involved on Friday, while Neymar was still absent as his future in Paris remains uncertain.
