Nice vs St Etienne: Crowd Trouble

The French league warned it could ban away supporters from matches after nine fans were injured before Nice’s Ligue 1 game against St Etienne on Sunday.

The injuries occurred when St Etienne fans threw seats at home supporters in Nice’s Allianz Arena, the French interior and sports ministries said.

“If we don’t succeed in resolving this problem it will end with a systematic ban on trips,” said Frederic Thiriez, president of the French league.

St Etienne won the game 1-0.

The trouble flared before the match as away fans dismantled seats and threw them towards opposition supporters.

French newspaper L’Equipe reported 250 St Etienne fans were ejected from the stadium as a result.

Thiriez, of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, added in a statement: “Enough! The few cretins who claim to be supporters do not

even realise they ruin the image of football.

“I will ask a meeting with the ministry of interior to discuss the supporters’ trips to away games.”

Taken from French news Site

Following the incidents exploded an hour before kickoff of Nice-Saint-Étienne , 250 supporters of AS Saint-Etienne were evacuated from the Allianz Riviera. Shortly after the entry of Etienne in the stadium, dozens of seats were torn and thrown on either side of the two opposing stands. A few minutes later, the CRS intervened, framing supporters before discharging. Kicking off the match was finally given time, once the evacuation is complete, the club president Jean-Pierre Nice Rivère having made the request for security reasons. A total of 200 seats were torn and eight people were slightly injured, a steward, said André Bloch, head of security OGCN. Police confirmed that figure, citing an injured ” in Etienne supporters and seven in Nice . “