PARIS (AP) — French Ligue 1 club Nice has condemned “unacceptable” incidents after another disappointing weekend at Riviera where angry fans attacked staff and players.
Nice’s players were met with a large number of supporters as they returned to the club’s training and academy center after losing 3-1 to Lorient in Sunday’s French Ligue 1 and suffering a sixth consecutive defeat in all competitions.
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As tensions escalated, fans shouted abuse and demanded greater commitment from the team, with reports that some supporters even boarded the team bus.
“The club understands the frustration caused by a series of poor results and performances that fell short of its values,” Nice said in a statement on Monday night. “However, the events that occurred during this rally were unacceptable. Several members of the club were confronted and attacked. Nice OGC offers them its full support and condemns these actions in the strongest possible terms.”
According to L’Equipe, some players and staff were spat on and even punched as they got off the bus. Jérémie Boga and Terem Moffi were reported to have been the most severely attacked, with multiple blows to the head and groin, while sporting director Florian Maurice was also said to have been attacked.
L’Equipe and RMC reported that Boga and Morphy have been granted medical leave.
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Nice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
After 14 rounds, Nice ranks 10th in the standings, 14 points behind leader Lens. The team has lost 7 games and conceded 26 goals.
This loss to Lorient came just three days after the 3-0 loss to Porto in the Europa League. The club finished bottom of the league stage, losing all five games.
“We are fighting for survival, that’s the reality,” Nice coach Frank Hayes said on Sunday. “We will fight with those who want to fight. A team only exists when everyone has that desire.”
Morris pointed to a lack of cohesion within the squad after Nice lost 1-0 at Lorient.
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“Every time there’s a slight setback, we can’t recover,” he said. “It proves that we lacked the cohesion, and perhaps the values, at that particular moment to strive and achieve results.”
Despite a poor start to the season, Hayes signed a new two-year contract with the Ligue 1 club until 2029 in September. Nice were knocked out of the Champions League after losing to Benfica in the third qualifying round and have struggled to get their season going ever since.
Hayes, 54, takes over at Nice in the summer of 2024 and led Riviera to a fourth-place finish last season.
Nice’s next game is at home to Angers on Sunday.
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