Less than 24 hours after the policing of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris left a lot to be desired, there was more serious trouble at a football match in France.
On Saturday night the way that tear gas and pepper spray was used indiscriminately on Liverpool fans have led to calls for an urgent inquiry by the British government, Liverpool, supporters’ groups and independent journalists. Some observers believe that a major stadium tragedy was averted more by luck than judgement.
But that was hors d’oeuvre compared to what happened in the French relegation clash between St Étienne and Auxerre on Sunday. Auxerre won the match 5-4 on penalties to condemn the hosts to relegation after an 18-year stay in the top flight of French football. Auxerre have been promoted in their stead after a 10-year absence from Ligue 1.
As soon as their captain Birame Touré slotted home the winning spot-kick, hundreds of enraged home fans charged on to the pitch. The players sprinted for the safety of the dressing rooms to escape the mob as flares and fireworks were let off on the pitch. The pitch invaders were heading for the presidential stand, where the St Étienne board members were all seated, before the police intercepted them using tear gas.
In the ensuing chaos, a number of people were hit. Some suffered minor injuries. St Étienne chair Roland Romeyer was captured on film with his head under a cap, crying with reddened eyes behind his glasses. After the game, he hinted that he may be prepared to sell the club.
This was the latest in a series of ugly incidents that have dogged French football. If previous incidents are any guide, St Étienne’s punishment will not be limited to just playing Ligue 2 football next season. When a Lyon game was abandoned after midfielder Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle, they were docked a point, and forced to play the rescheduled game behind closed doors.
Questions also need to be asked as to whether the local police’s willingness to use tear gas and resort to violence on their own is really an appropriate response in this day and age.