Stade de Reims supporters will be banned from travelling to their fixture against OGC Nice on the weekend. This decision was made following the tragedy last weekend where an FC Nantes fan was killed before their match against Nice.
In line with recommendations made by the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, away supporters will now be banned from travelling to games that are classified as high-risk.
This fixture looks to be the latest but far from the last match to feel the consequences of increasingly violent incidents surrounding the sport in France.
Two matches since the start of the season have already been suspended due to crowd violence, and there was a feeling that this problem was only ever-growing. Now with the death of a supporter, the onus has been on the government and the sporting institutions to signal meaningful change.
As the Minister stated in an interview, transcribed by L’Équipe: “We cannot continue like this in football.” In further statements, she argued that it was necessary to “decide on a moratorium on supporter travel” reaffirming her strong stance that “that we cannot accept this situation.”
