“The prefecture of the Loire has locked itself for too many years in an absurd repressive logic stupidly applying its measures mechanically without sketching the slightest reflection“, can we read in particular in a press release co-signed, this Tuesday evening, by 11 associations of supporters of the Canaries. The tone is set. Eight days from “classic“between FC Nantes and AS Saint-Étienne, the supporters announced their boycott of this final trip of the calendar year.
“An attempt at dialogue which found absolutely no interlocutor”
After having seen a drastic reduction in its quota of places at the Parc des Princes, the groups of supporters of the Yellow must once again deal with the constraints imposed by the prefectures. In this case, that of the Loire where “For eight years now, Nantes supporters have not been able to go, under normal and acceptable conditions, to the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium“, remind the aficionados of the Canaries. For this match of the 19th day of Ligue 1, scheduled for a Wednesday evening, only 200 Nantes residents are, for the time being, authorized to go up the Loire.
According to groups of supporters including the Loire Brigade or Allez Nantes Canaris and Activ Nantes Supports, the Loire prefecture would impose “compulsory escort for all Nantes supporters and therefore the use of public transport […] This measure excludes, de facto, all individual supporters.“In this long open letter, the associations also denounce”an attempt at dialogue which found absolutely no interlocutor on the side of the Loire prefecture“. Faced with this observation, and as it stands, they have therefore decided not to organize any travel.