Bizarre Tear Gas Incident in France Saw Ligue 1 Match Between Toulouse and Montpellier Temporarily Suspended

• A French Ligue 1 match was temporarily stopped on Sunday after tear gas from the stands forced the referee to abandon the match for 15 minutes
• Toulouse were leading 4-1 when referee Jeremie Pignard halted the match after players started covering their noses and eyes from the irritant
• Cases of violence in French football have risen in recent season, with Nice fans banned from their match this past weekend vs PSG

A French Ligue 1 match pitting Toulouse against Montpellier was briefly halted, after a tear gas incident from the stands left many players covering their noses and eyes, struggling to breathe.

The incident occurred early in the second half, with the home side comfortably leading 4-1, when the referee decided to send players into the changing room.

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The chemical, often used by riot police, saw players cover their noses and eyes as the irritant continued to fill the venue, according to Eurosport.

Play resumed 15 minutes later, but the hosts were reduced to 10 men after Mikkel Desler received a second yellow card. Montpellier scored their second in the 67th minute.

However, they couldn't break down the 10-man Toulouse for over half an hour and ended up losing the match 4-2. Montpellier are now just one point ahead of Toulouse with 12 points and are 10th in the league.

Violence in Ligue 1

Fan violence has marred French football in the last few seasons. Last season, Nice versus Olympique Marseille was abandoned after Marseille star Dimitri Payet was hit with a bottle from the stands.

On Saturday, French's interior ministry barred Nice supporters from attending the game at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and visiting the French capital, according to the Washington Post.

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Messi scores a stunning free-kick versus Nice

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Lionel Messi netting a spectacular free-kick as PSG narrowly defeated Nice in Paris.

PSG won the entertaining encounter 2-1 thanks to a well-taken Kylian Mbappe goal from the bench.

The free-kick was Messi's second this past week, after netting an equally beautiful one against Jamaica during the recently concluded international break.