The day after the serious incidents that occurred at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne, the toll stood at 14 minor injuries among the police and 17 among the supporters, “including three who were taken to hospital for control. “, according to the prefect of the Loire Catherine Séguin.
Sunday evening after ASSE’s defeat on penalties against AJ Auxerre, synonymous with a descent into Ligue 2 for the Forézien club, the pitch was invaded by thousands of angry supporters. Some sent pyrotechnic devices towards the official platform protected by the police. The Saint-Etienne players, surrounded by the stewards, immediately rushed, like the other players in the match, to the locker room.
The security forces also entered the field and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, while panic movements shook the stands. And the clashes continued outside the stadium, requiring the use of tear gas and a water-throwing device, said the prefecture, adding that the unrest had ceased at 11:15 p.m.
The 1,154 Auxerre supporters and then the players were able to leave the stadium from midnight under police escort while the AJA bus was the target of projectiles. Two players from Auxerre were slightly injured in the scuffles caused by “a minority of individuals claiming to be supporters of ASSE but who are quite simply thugs”, estimates the prefect Catherine Séguin.
The Geoffroy-Guichard stadium is again at risk of serious sanctions even though it is on probation because it is a repeat offender of this type of incident. On Sunday, the Snella stand was closed following incidents during the reception of Monaco on April 23, a sanction that did not curb the incidents at the end of the match.
