After the break for international matches ended last weekend, league competitions returned to action. At 5 p.m. on Sunday, the players of FC Nantes, who played against Le Havre, ran onto the pitch of their own stadium. The team led by Antoine Kombouare is struggling with big problems. The last time she won was… at the end of August. In the next matches, Nantes recorded six defeats and three draws in Ligue 1.
Dantesque scenes at the Nantes match. The judge was helpless
In the match against Le Havre, the hosts tried to break their bad streak. Despite this, the visiting team took the lead already in the 3rd minute after Josue Casimir's goal. Steve Ngoura increased the score in the second half. It is true that the Nantes players kept the ball longer and created goal opportunities, but ultimately none of them managed to score.
Finally, regular game time expired. The referee added an additional four minutes, but he certainly did not expect the match to last much longer. All because of the thuggish behavior of the home fans. When the clock struck 91 minutes, the FC Nantes ultras in the stands began to storm the barriers. In an instant, several dozen or perhaps even several hundred people were right behind the goal.
There were riots and total chaos reigned in the stadium. In such a situation, the arbitrator could not make a different decision. He quickly ordered players from both teams to go to the locker room. In the meantime, armed officers appeared on the pitch. At times, the Nantes stadium resembled a battlefield more than a football stadium.
– We'll see how long this all lasts. These are images we absolutely want to avoid. Not only on French pitches – said Eleven Sports commentators. It was evident that the security guards, even with the support of the police, were unable to cope with the Nantes hooligans who were furious after another defeat of their team. Ultimately, the break in the game lasted over half an hour. The match ended with a 2-0 victory for Le Havre. It was the fourth defeat in a row for FC Nantes. Currently, the “Canaries” with 10 points in their account are 16th in the table, which is equivalent to fighting in the play-offs for relegation in Ligue 1.