By Samuel A. December 3, 2023
An FC Nantes supporter, aged 31, has died after the fan was stabbed by a vehicle for hire driver ahead of the Ligue 1 side’s 1-0 win against Nice last weekend, according to reports. The incident occurred shortly before 8pm on Saturday evening when several Nice supporters were attacked by rival fans of Nantes while on their way to the Stade de la Beaujoire.
According to French outlet Ouest, the assailant was carrying Nice supporters in their vehicle and reportedly stabbed the victim in the back outside of the Saint Georges Bar, near the stadium. The assailant has subsequently turned himself in to local police.
The Nantes fan was a member of the club’s most ardent fan group, Brigade Loire, who regularly met at the bar ahead of games. Eye witnesses claimed first responders arrived at the scene and proceeded to deliver CPR to the fan who subsequently passed away after being taken to the University Hospital of Nantes.
Reports claim that an altercation had broken out between Nantes supporters and several drivers carrying Nice fans, with some cars being shaken when the away team’s supporters were traveling along the Cours des Cinquante-Otages, one of the main roads that leads to the Stade de la Beaujoire.
Nantes public prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul said, according to French media: ‘Shortly before 8.00pm, several vehicles carrying Nice supporters were attacked by FC Nantes supporters. During these events, in circumstances which remain to be determined, a 31 year old man, a FC Nantes supporter, collapsed. The very first forensic investigations show that the victim had a wound on his back, possibly caused by a bladed weapon.’
Nantes have issued a statement on the incident, claiming that the club was saddened to learn of the death of one of their supporters. The statement read: ”In circumstances which are the subject of an ongoing legal investigation, the 31 year old collapsed, hit in the back. Despite the intervention of emergency services, the supporter could not be saved. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced that an investigation into intentional homicide has been opened. Numerous witness interviews are underway and will continue into the night. The Club can only deplore that a person lost their life in such circumstances. FC Nantes would like to express its most sincere condolences to the victim’s family and those close to them.”
Nantes ended Nice’s unbeaten run in Ligue 1 after Florent Mollet’s first half strike, his third of the season, helped his side claim victory against the away team, who sit second in the French top division, just a point behind Paris Saint-Germain.
After the game, Nantes manager Jocelyn Gourvennec said, per Ouest: “I only found out after the match. I Can’t imagine that we come to see a football match, sometimes as a family, and that we could be between life and death. The players talked about it a lot in the locker room. We will pray for him.”
