Paris 13 Atletico – AS Nancy : pre-match organisational chaos sees harsh €10,000 fine for hosts | OneFootball

The National 1 (third tier) match between Paris 13 Atletico and Nancy was nothing short of chaos. Due to logistical problems at the recently re-named Stade Pelé, the match was played behind closed doors on Friday afternoon.

French FA authorities feared that the 900-capacity stadium on the Southern outskirts of Paris would not be fit to welcome Nancy’s ultras, fearing clashes with ultras of Paris Saint-Germain or Red Star FC. Normally Paris 13’s National matches would be played at Paris FC’s Stade Charléty, which was unavailable for this fixture.

The game was moved due to Nancy hosting Red Star on Monday evening in order to banish away fans from travelling to the Lorraine region for the same ‘security’ fears – the original fixture between Red Star and Nancy was meant to be played on Friday.

A mixture of incompetence from both the French FA and local authorities in the Merthe & Moselle prefecture mean that Paris 13 had to find a new stadium in the Parisian region to play against Nancy at short notice. With no club willing to take on the fixture, again due to fears of fights between Nancy ultras and local Parisian fans, Les Gobelin had to play the game behind closed doors on Friday afternoon at their stadium on the Southern edge of Paris, at 15:00.

The French Football Federation (FFF) ultimately decided to go ahead with the game. However, the club was also fined €10,000 for “serious organisational and anticipatory failures,” of which, the federation itself was fully involved in creating.

The game itself was a comedic reflection of its pre-match chaotic organisation, being briefly interrupted in the 15th minute after a poorly executed shot by Paris resulted in the ball flying over the Nancy goal and over the fence located behind it. The visitors’ goalkeeper had to wait for more than a minute and a half before resuming play.

This amusing episode added to the folklore of a match that almost did not take place. Paris 13 Atletico managed to equalise twice and secure a sensational 2-2 draw, but it may not save them from relegation. Meanwhile, Nancy must fight until the last day of the season to secure their position in the league.

GFFN | George Boxall