Silence at La Beaujoire as Nantes fans withdraw support in relegation fight | OneFootball

Nantes, mired in a grim run, host OL on Saturday at 21:05 with their most loyal fans choosing silence.

According to L'Équipe, ultras group Brigade Loire will keep attending at La Beaujoire but will stop backing the team until further notice, after years of meagre returns. This season Nantes have taken five points from 10 home league games, with a single, laboured win against Auxerre, 1-0 on 30 August, plus a Coupe de France last 32 exit to Nice after a 1-1 draw and 3-5 on penalties.

That is worse than last season’s home haul of 21 points from 17 matches, five wins. During the 1-4 home collapse to Nice on 25 January, some ultras removed banners and left, some wearing balaclavas. The silence continued a week later at Lorient, a 1-2 defeat.

Mocking chants aimed at the Kita family, the club’s owners, have spread and crowds have dwindled to fewer than 25,000. One Loire Stand regular said he would still attend but would not sing, adding that many feel betrayed by what they call FC Kita.

Midfielder Mohamed Kaba, on loan from Lecce, said he is eager for his first outing at La Beaujoire and understands the supporters’ stance. He argued Nantes should not be dropping into Ligue 2 and that the players must give everything to bring fans back, because they will need them.

Head coach Ahmed Kantari, in post since 11 December, has already seen three home setbacks but remains optimistic. He pointed to early absences and late arrivals, and now, with the window shut and the squad more balanced, wants far more attacking output to produce the chances and goals the crowd crave. Recent results suggest that backing alone will not be enough.

Source: L'Équipe