by France is immersed in a problem of violence related to its football fans, which has led the Government to take drastic measures. In a decree published this Friday in the Official Gazette, the Ministry of the Interior has Travel of fans of eight French clubs prohibited for league and French Cup matches scheduled for this weekend.
The decision has been made after a series of incidents in recent months that have involved the fans of these teams.
The clubs affected by this measure are Lens, Girondins de Bordeaux, Nimes, Auxerre, Nantes, Olympique de Lyon, Reims and Olympique de Marseille.. The ban aims to prevent “all serious risks to the safety of people and property” that the Ministry of the Interior considers to exist, based on the history of violence described in the decree.
The decree highlights that Movements of football club fans have frequently been the source of public order incidents due to the violent behavior of some of them, especially during the year 2023 and the season of the League and the French Cup. The situation worsened with the death of a Nantes fan last Saturday, during clashes with fans of Nice, the visiting team.
Prior to this tragic event, on October 29, The match between Marseille and Lyon was canceled and postponed after the latter club’s bus was stoned, resulting in facial injuries for coach Fabio Grosso. These incidents have led the Government to implement this exceptional measure in the hope of preventing future episodes of football-related violence in the country.
