Football: scenes of chaos in Geoffroy-Guichard following the relegation of Saint-Etienne

The joy of the players from Auxerre (Yonne) was short-lived, Sunday May 29. From the final whistle, synonymous with relegation for Saint-Etienne (Loire), hundreds of angry supporters swept onto the stadium lawn Geoffroy-Guichard, notably throwing smoke bombs towards the presidential platform. Players were rushed out. The Burgundian goalkeeper was slightly hit in the head, as well as another footballer. Faced with chaos, the CRS responded with tear gas.

The 30,000 spectators were calmly evacuated, some with reddened eyes. The Ultras continued to confront law enforcement outside the stadium until 11 p.m. The prefecture deplores around thirty minor injuries. According to a police officer present at the stadium, the organization was failing. “The deployment of the security forces (…) was not sufficient. It was absolutely necessary to prevent access to the field, and not simply to create a security cordon at the level of the presidential platform”believes Pierre Tholly, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes regional secretary of the Alliance National Police union.