The French Minister of Sports, Youth and Associative Life, Marina Ferrari, has condemned what she described as “unacceptable scenes of violence” following the abandonment of the Ligue 1 match between Nantes and Toulouse on Sunday, May 17. Nantes supporters invaded the pitch at the 20th minute, launching smoke flares onto the field, forcing the match to be called off entirely.

In a strongly worded statement on X, Ferrari declared these actions have “absolutely no place in sport or in our Republic”. She went on to say: “I condemn these acts with the utmost severity and extend my full support to the players and to the peaceful fans who came to enjoy the game.”

She also stressed that “everyone must take responsibility to identify those responsible for these violent acts, who will face severe penalties.”

At the time of the abandonment, Nantes was 17th and already relegated to Ligue 2, while Toulouse sat in 10th place with nothing left to play for. The score stood at 0-0 when Nantes supporters from the Tribune Loire section stormed the pitch at the Stade de la Beaujoire. After a few minutes, they returned to their stand, secured by a heavy presence of riot police who managed to prevent further clashes, though some scuffles did break out.