Marina Ferrari, the Minister of Sports, Youth, and Community Life, publicly denounced the “unacceptable scenes of violence” that marred the Nantes-Toulouse Ligue 1 football fixture on Sunday, May 17. The incident, occurring during the 34th and final matchday, saw Nantes supporters invade the playing field and launch flares onto the grass, forcing the game to be brought to a complete halt.

The Minister firmly stated that such acts of violence “have absolutely no place in sport or within our Republic.” She further expressed, “I condemn these actions with the utmost severity and extend my full support to the players and the peaceful supporters who came to enjoy the event calmly.”

Ferrari concluded her statement by emphasizing that “everyone must take responsibility to identify the perpetrators of this violence, who must be punished with the greatest severity.” At the time of the disruption, in the 22nd minute, the score stood at 0-0. Nantes, already relegated to Ligue 2, and Toulouse, sitting comfortably in 10th place with nothing left to play for, saw their match descend into chaos. Supporters from the Tribune Loire section of the Beaujoire stadium were responsible for the pitch invasion. While security forces, including numerous CRS officers, eventually managed to usher the Nantes fans back to their stands, minor skirmishes were unavoidable.

Notably, the Minister did not comment on other disturbances that took place during the evening, including a similar pitch invasion by Nice supporters following their match against Auxerre.