This is a decision that will not delight fans of the Yellow and Blue. The Yonne prefecture has just issued an order prohibiting the movement of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard supporters for the match in Auxerre on Saturday March 12 at 3 p.m., counting for the 28th day of Ligue 2. “Traffic and parking on the public road by people claiming to be FC SOCHAUX supporters or behaving as such, as well as access to the AJ AUXERRE stadium, are prohibited. Saturday March 12, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the perimeter delimited around the Abbé Deschamps stadium. stipulates the decree. The State Services justify their decision for several reasons.
A history of violence between the two clubs
For the prefecture of Yonne, this decree is motivated by “the repeated nature of serious events likely to disturb public order, both during meetings between the two clubs and during their travels” with particular reference to 2017 “when a Sochaux supporter had to be hospitalized following when the bus was stoned by the Ultras from Auxerre who broke the windows, while the said bus was escorted by the police” but also at the displacement of 2020 “while a prefectural decree had been taken prohibiting Franche-Comté supporters from going to Auxerre, at the end of the match, a violent clash between Ultras from both clubs took place, with injuries. The police had to use tear gas canisters to disperse the supporters.”
The decree also considers that “During the last match between the two teams on September 24, 2021 in SOCHAUX, invectives or other aggressive gestures and songs were heard and seen on both sides of the two camps”.
Spectator safety risk
As it is also a match with high sporting stakes between two teams currently in the TOP 5, with a large crowd expected for this top-of-the-table meeting, “the presence on the public highway, on Saturday March 12, 2022 in the vicinity and in the Abbé Deschamps stadium of people claiming to be supporters of the SOCHAUX club, or behaving as such, _entails serious risks for the safety of persons and property”.Considering all these elements, it is therefore recorded that “the existing opposition between the groups of supporters of the ne does not make it possible to ensure the safety of the many spectators present during this meeting”. _
The FCSM not concerted
On the side of Sochaux, we fall from the clouds in the face of this decree “We respect the decisions of the State but we nevertheless regret not having been concerted” says Roland Perrin, the security manager of the FCSM “It’s in a way a violation of the rights of the defence. It’s a sanction before we can even talk about prevention. It’s annoying especially since we had already chartered a fan bus for this match in Auxerre”.