Football: Luynes Sports Ambushed by Nice Supporters, Falls into a Trap in Villefranche
In a match that needed to be replayed from the 21st day of Regional 1 between Villefranche and Luynes Sports, tensions ran high. This was due to an error by the legal department of the Mediterranean League, who mistakenly assessed the validity of a player’s qualification. A month after the championship ended, which saw Luynes Sports crowned R1 champions and promoted to N3, the French Football Federation had to step in to demand a replay of the match, even though most players were on vacation. Despite the efforts of Provencal presidents Stéphane Banos and Jihad Meroueh to seek redress, Luynes Sports had to accept the decision.
On Sunday, Franck Guardiola and Fathi Hachem’s team traveled to Villefranche with one goal in mind: to win and secure their promotion. However, the atmosphere surrounding the match was far from pleasant. The presence of OGC Nice ultras only added to the tension, resulting in three match interruptions due to projectiles thrown at the assistant referee, particularly after Azuréen Thibault Lorenzi received a red card. Incidents targeting the Provencal team, including a bottle hitting Luynes Sports official Jean-Claude Faure, escalated despite the police presence. The use of tear gas on the unruly Nice supporters proved ineffective, and the Luynes team’s bus had to be escorted to the highway entrance.
Despite referee and delegate reports, Villefranche emerged victorious with a 1-0 win, earning promotion to N3. The Luynes Sports management will now consider taking action through the CNOSF to address the events that unfolded.