Metz supporters attack police following defeat to Lorient | OneFootball

Violent scenes followed FC Metz’s defeat to FC Lorient, as masked supporters confronted security forces at the Stage Saint-Symphorien.

The clash at the bottom of the table saw Metz slip into the relegation playoff spot, as a second-half winner secured a 2-1 victory for Regis Le Bris’s men.

Frustrations soon came to ahead at the end of the game as the Metz supporters railed against the state of the club. Armed with iron bars and launching pyrotechnics at the police, the gathering fans were heard chanting “the club is ours and not yours.”

The problem in French football

This has not been the first time this season that crowd troubles have dampened the occasion in France.

Most notably, Olympique Lyonnaise and Olympique de Marseilles’ fixture in October was cancelled due to the Lyon coach being attacked en route to the Stade Vélodrome, while inside the stadium Lyon fans were seen making nazi salutes and chanting racist and homophobic insults.

However, even at the grassroots level, there has been a growing trend towards disturbing acts of violence. Most recently an amateur side cancelled all fixtures and training after a staff member was threatened with a knife by the parent of a player.

GFFN | Nick Hartland