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CRIME

Nantes fan dies after stabbing before French Ligue 1 game

A fan of Ligue 1 club Nantes has died after being stabbed before the club's 1-0 win over Nice, the public prosecutor in the western French city confirmed on Sunday.

A 2020 file photo of police officers steering their car in Nantes.
A 2020 file photo of police officers steering their car in Nantes. A Nantes football fan was fatally stabbed before Saturday's game against Nice. Photo: AFP / Loic VENANCE

The fatality occurred when several vehicles transporting Nice supporters were attacked by rival Nantes fans while on their way to the Beaujoire stadium before Saturday’s game.

“During these events, in circumstances which remain to be determined, a 31-year-old man, a supporter of FC Nantes, collapsed (and) died on the spot, despite the rapid intervention of emergency services,” Nantes public prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul said.

The deceased received “a wound in the back, which could correspond to a bladed weapon”, the prosecutor explained, adding that an investigation for “voluntary manslaughter” had been opened.

A source close to the case told AFP the victim, a member of Nantes supporters group Brigade Loire, had been stabbed by one of the vehicle drivers.

Gaudeul confirmed a 35-year-old driver had been taken into custody on Sunday after turning himself in at a police station in the early hours of the morning.

FC Nantes said they were “saddened” by the death, sending their condolences to the victim’s family.

“Numerous witness interviews are underway and will continue into the night,” the club said in a statement.

“The club can only deplore that a person lost their life in such circumstances.”

French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera sent her condolences in a post on social media, saying the investigation must “identify the exact circumstances of the events”.

The death comes against a backdrop of tensions and recent incidents on the sidelines of Ligue 1 matches.

Two Brest supporters were injured a week ago when their bus was targeted by projectiles after the club’s 3-1 victory in Montpellier.

At the end of October, Lyon’s team bus was stoned on its approach to Marseille’s Velodrome stadium and coach Fabio Grosso was left with cuts to the face that required stitches.

The incidents led to the match being called off just as it was supposed to kick off and with 60,000 fans already in the grounds.

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SPORT

France football star Thuram takes stand against far right ahead of elections

France forward Marcus Thuram on Saturday called on voters in the country to "fight" to stop the far right coming to power in upcoming snap elections.

France football star Thuram takes stand against far right ahead of elections

Thuram is the first member of the France squad at Euro 2024 to take a clear position against the far-right National Rally (RN) ahead of legislative elections for the French National Assembly.

“I think the situation is sad and very serious,” the 26-year-old forward with Italian champions Inter Milan told reporters in Paderborn, where the 2022 World Cup runners-up are based during the Euros in Germany.

President Emmanuel Macron has called elections with the first round set for June 30 and the second round on July 7.

He announced the snap poll last Sunday in response to the results of the EU elections, in which far-right parties — including the top-scoring RN — managed to take almost 40 percent of the vote in France.

The French squad, the majority of whom come from an immigrant background, had been playing a friendly match against Canada at the same time as Macron made his announcement.

“I heard about it after the match against Canada. We were all a bit shocked in the dressing room.

“We need to tell everyone to get out and vote, to fight every day to stop the RN winning,” added Thuram, who is preparing with his teammates for their first European Championship game against Austria on Monday.

Other France players, notably Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud, had already publicly called on their compatriots to go out and vote in the elections, but had not taken as clear a stand as Thuram.

“I hope that everyone shares my opinion. It is not enough to say that you need to go out and vote. We need to explain how we have got to where we are,” he said.

“I don’t think it should be very difficult to talk about. It is the way I have been educated.

“I know a lot of people follow me on social media and I have an obligation to get certain messages across,” added Thuram, whose father Lilian won the World Cup with France in 1998 and is well-known for his campaigning against racism.

“Having grown up with my father I feel a responsibility to get this message across.”

Of his teammates in the France squad, Thuram added: “I have no doubt at all that everyone in the France squad thinks the same way as me.

“I am not here to force anyone to say anything even if it is what they think.

“Thanks to my father I have enough of an understanding of this situation to be able to talk about it.”

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