ASSE: flares prompt six stand closures at Geoffroy-Guichard this season | OneFootball

AS Saint-Étienne’s south kop has been ordered to close for two matches after the Green Angels’ tifo during the 21 February meeting with Laval. It comes amid a season of repeated stand sanctions at Geoffroy-Guichard.

According to Le Progres, the 2025-2026 campaign has already brought six partial closures, on the south side against Nancy, US Écotay-Moingt and Annecy, with Dunkerque to come, and on the north side against Bastia and Clermont. The Ligue de football professionnel’s disciplinary commission issues such measures, generally following the use of flares by supporters.

Many Saint-Étienne fans consider these collective punishments unjust, with thousands kept out of the stadium.

Speaking in the Commission for Cultural Affairs and Education, Pierrick Courbon said he was fully in favour of relaxing rules on pyrotechnic devices. He also criticised what he described as broadcasters’ hypocrisy in using those images to sell subscriptions.

Sociologist Nicolas Hourcade, a specialist in football supporters, said sports bodies are obliged to enforce the law that bans flares in stadiums. He compared clubs’ efforts to stop them to bailing out a lake with a glass of water, and suggested a legal framework for controlled displays with appropriate safety.

He noted a recent national pilot aimed at that approach, which Saint-Étienne supporters did not join. In his view it remains a pertinent response, although some groups considered the process too restrictive, and finding a solution on pyrotechnics could ease tensions in grounds.

Source: Le Progres