Saint Etienne Fans Throw Flares and Explosives at Their Players After the Team Is Relegated From Ligue 1

• The end of the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season was spoilt by absolute chaos after a match between St Etienne and Auxerre
• Following Saint-Etienne's confirmed relegation to the second division, the home side's supporters stormed the pitch in fury
• Some of the angry supporters threw flares at their own players, who fled down the tunnel in panic as pandemonium ensued

Acrimonious scenes marked the end of the season in France's Ligue 1 this past weekend.

Saint-Etienne, who finished in the promotion-relegation places, was beaten 5-4 on penalties by Ligue 2 team Auxerre after their two-legged play-off had ended 2-2 on aggregate. Immediately after Remi Dugimont scored the winning penalty for Auxerre, hundreds of Saint-Etienne fans invaded the pitch at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium near the south-east of France.

As was reported on SPORTSBible, dozens of flares were thrown in the direction of the Saint-Etienne players, who fled down the tunnel, while other fireworks could be heard being set off during the chaos. According to the French website RMC Sport, riot police eventually intervened and were able to clear fans off the pitch.

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Footage from inside the tunnel showed several players' nursing injuries sustained as a result of the pitch invasion. The French fire service was also forced to put out fires that were set by fans burning seats in the stands.

These unsavoury scenes came just a day after crowd trouble marred the UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris, as was reported in The Independent. Thousands of Liverpool supporters were made to wait outside the Stade de France for several hours before the match, causing the kick-off to be delayed by more than 30 minutes.

Some fans without tickets attempted to force their way into the stadium by jumping over gates and under turnstiles. French riot police struggled to control the situation and have been criticised for firing tear gas at peaceful Liverpool supporters.

UEFA blamed the chaotic scenes on fans who had turned up for the match with "fake tickets". However, various journalists who attended the match have pointed the blame squarely at UEFA and its lack of organisation.

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Police raid Lille headquarters as authorities scrutinise former Ligue 1 champions Over Osimhen’s transfer

Former French Champions, Lille have had their headquarters raided by police as the Ligue 1 club is being investigated over corruption in a transfer deal involving Victor Osimhen.

As reported by Sports Brief, the Super Eagles striker moved to Napoli from the Ligue 1 club in 2020 in a deal reported to cost €75 million and the 23-year-old has gone on to establish himself as one of Serie A’s best players.

According to reports, Napoli and Lille have been under the searchlight as regards the transfer as the Serie A club included four players in the deal.