AN FC Nantes supporter was stabbed to death after violence broke out ahead of the club’s Ligue 1 fixture with Nice on Saturday.
A group of Nantes supporters are understood to have attacked Nice fans who were on their way to the Stade de la Beaujoire shortly before 8pm local time.
The victim, 31, was killed by a taxi driver after attacking his vehicle full of Nice supporters, according to French outlet Ouest.
The report adds that cars were being shaken as they travelled along the Cours des Cinquante-Otages, one of the main roads that leads to the stadium.
The taxi driver reportedly stabbed the victim in the back as the attack broke out between the two sets of fans outside the Saint Georges Bar near the ground.
The assailant has now subsequently turned himself in.
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According to Get French Football News, the Nantes fan was a member of the club’s most notorious fan group, Brigade Loire.
It’s been reported that responders attempted to give him CPR after arriving at the scene, before transferring him to the University Hospital of Nantes where he subsequently passed away.
Speaking to French media, Nantes public prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul said: “Shortly before 8.00pm, several vehicles carrying Nice supporters were attacked by FC Nantes supporters.
“During these events, in circumstances which remain to be determined, a 31-year-old man, a FC Nantes supporter, collapsed.
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“The very first forensic investigations show that the victim had a wound on his back, possibly caused by a bladed weapon.”
Nantes have also issued a statement following the incident.
It read: “In circumstances which are the subject of an ongoing legal investigation, the 31-year-old collapsed, hit in the back.
“Despite the intervention of emergency services, the supporter could not be saved.
“The Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced that an investigation into intentional homicide has been opened.
“Numerous witness interviews are underway and will continue into the night.
“The Club can only deplore that a person lost their life in such circumstances.”
“FC Nantes would like to express its most sincere condolences to the victim’s family and those close to them.”
Despite the incident, the match still went ahead as the home side recorded a 1-0 victory – inflicting Nice’s first league defeat of the season.
However, there were muted scenes inside the stadium as news broke out.
After the game, Nantes manager Jocelyn Gourvennec said, per Ouest: “I only found out after the match.
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“I can’t imagine that we come to see a football match, sometimes as a family, and that we could be between life and death.
“The players talked about it a lot in the locker room. We will pray for him.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
