What Nantes risk after chaotic night against Toulouse | OneFootball

Chaotic scenes during Nantes v Toulouse have deepened the rift between ultras and the club hierarchy and could affect the start of L2 in August.

According to L'Équipe, Sunday night’s match was rated level four out of five on the DNLH risk scale and was subject to a ministerial order banning Toulouse fans amid tensions. The pitch was then invaded in the 22nd minute.

No injuries or on-field violence were reported at the time, and the stadium was evacuated without issue. A criminal inquiry has been opened for unlawful entry onto the field of play, punishable by up to one year in prison, and for the introduction or use of pyrotechnics, which can bring three years. Various acts of violence in the stands or on the pitch were also recorded.

The episode follows several difficult seasons since the 2022 Coupe de France win and a sustained strike of support since late January. The BL and their backers, who animate La Beaujoire and regularly criticise the Kita family’s management, are central to the unrest. The group has a hard core of around 250 members and about 1,000 sympathisers in the 6,500-seat Loire stand.

Disciplinary proceedings will follow an instruction lasting roughly a fortnight. The commission is likely to ratify the 0-0 at the stoppage rather than award Toulouse a 3-0 forfeit. Either way, Toulouse would be ninth, above Lorient, and Nantes could face matches behind closed doors, around two, at the start of L2 in August, plus a possible points deduction, likely suspended.

Source: L'Équipe