In Lyon, Lovren does not feel “not in Europe”: what did the Croatian mean?

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By: Manu Tournoux

Returning to Lyon in the winter of 2023, Dejan Lovren made a media outing which did not go unnoticed this week.

Dejan Lovren has traveled a lot since his first visit to France, more than a decade ago. He was then just a clean-cut, youthful defender learning his trade at a dominant club. Having passed through England and Russia, the Croatian has made a name for himself on the international scene, with the year 2018 and this World Cup final against the Blue at the zenith of his career.

The fact remains that the 2018 world vice-champion also has some feats of arms under his belt, such as his positions in favor of far-right ideology. Worse, the defender had been suspected of having performed Nazi salutes before signing for Lyon less than a year ago. This week, he made a media outing that did not go unnoticed.

While the club’s news was marked by incidents in Marseille and racism in the stands, Dejan Lovren declared that he did not feel safe in the Rhone city.

“Recently, they wanted to enter my apartment, even though I live in a secure building, he explained for the Croatian media RTL. There is now someone staying outside my door, we have security in the building itself.”

“I’m not comfortable at all. And with every step I take I look around to see if anything is coming, thefts are constant and something urgently needs to change. It’s not a normal life, it’s as if we live somewhere, far in the East, not in Europe.. A formula that greatly provoked a reaction. Accused of making discriminatory remarks, Lovren referred to the burglary he was the subject of, but it would not be surprising if the Croatian clarified his remarks in the days to come.

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