Graffiti and poor run leave Monaco on edge before Nice derby | OneFootball

Monaco head to Nice on Sunday at 17:15 with tensions high after around 30 supporters left graffiti outside the La Turbie training centre on Saturday morning.

They gathered at about 10:30, but Denis Zakaria and his team-mates were not due until the afternoon. Graffiti appeared at the entrance and on nearby public property, aimed at director general Thiago Scuro, with ultras having called for his resignation for weeks. The club said in a statement that it condemned the damage.

The Principality club’s slump is unprecedented, seven defeats in eight league matches and a record European loss in Madrid on 20 January, 1-6. Two days before the derby they were knocked out of the Coupe de France at Strasbourg, 1-3. A section of fans has responded with actions not seen before.

Head coach Sébastien Pocognoli said the pressure has been there for weeks and maintained the Strasbourg display was not poor. He added that, even with cup progress, they would still have needed to take points in Ligue 1.

Wing-back Krépin Diatta urged the group not to add extra tension, recalling what happened in last season’s derby. Pocognoli told his players to avoid being dragged into derby emotions and stressed that aggression must improve, and be applied with accuracy.

Source: L'Équipe