the Troyes-Valenciennes match definitively stopped due to smoke jets

Estac is not yet officially relegated to the National, but it got a little closer, Friday May 3. The Troyes-Valenciennes meeting, counting for the 36th day of Ligue 2, was definitively stopped at the Stade de l’Aube, when the score was 1-1 and there were only a few minutes left to play, due to smoke jets on the lawn.

The referee, Olivier Thual, had stopped the match for the first time, which resumed after around fifteen minutes of interruption, but a new series of smoke bombs pushed him to definitively stop the game a few moments later. Some Estac players even returned certain projectiles themselves, before the police intervened to place themselves between the players and the supporters.

At the time of the interruption, the score of parity confirmed the relegation, since, at the same time, Dunkerque won on the lawn of Quevilly-Rouen (1-2) and Annecy won in Rodez ( 3-1). Troyes would be condemned to relegation to National 1 two days from the end if it lost this match on the green carpet, or if the score remained like this (1-1).

In a press release published subsequently, the Trojan club indicated condemn “the actions of a minority of supporters following tonight’s home game against Valenciennes. The context of disappointment among supporters does not excuse or attenuate this behavior, and we are now waiting to know the decisions of from the football authorities.”