On 21 June 1998, Daniel Nivel, member of the National Gendarmerie, was assaulted in the city of Lens by German football hooligans during the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He fell into a six-week coma and was left with permanent disability.
One of his attackers was arrested at the scene and tried in France, receiving a jail sentence of five years and being barred from returning to the country. Four others were tried in Essen, a city in their own country, and found guilty, with one being jailed for ten years for attempted murder, and the others receiving shorter sentences for serious bodily harm.
The attack was deemed a national shame by Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl. In the years since, Nivel has been a guest of honour at Germany football matches and a foundation in his name has opposed football hooliganism.