Nice cancel in-match Dante tribute as survival takes priority | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Nice have cancelled an in-match tribute to captain Dante, with survival now the priority as Ligue 1 safety remains uncertain.

The club will only know around 23:00 on Sunday whether he has played his penultimate appearance, and his last at home. Depending on results, two play-off matches could still be required.

Dante, 42, joined in 2016 and was due a full send-off at the Allianz Riviera before the Coupe de France final on 22 May, but the team's 16th place has upended those plans.

The 24,000 supporters expected at the stadium will not see player escorts wearing wigs in his image, and the warm-up shirts will be the usual ones, not the special set prepared for him. Supporters in the Populaire Sud will present him with a trophy seconds before kick-off, with any further surprises kept for after the match and only if the outcome is positive.

Nice had also agreed with Ligue 1 to halt play briefly in the 4th minute, matching his shirt number and echoing Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 2016 farewell at the Parc des Princes, but they have reversed that decision. Given the stakes, in-game celebrations are off the table.

Source: L'Équipe