Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 9y

Saint-Etienne threaten to boycott cup tie vs. Red Star if fan ban stands

Saint-Etienne are threatening to forfeit their Coupe de France tie with Paris-based Red Star FC unless visiting supporters are allowed to attend the game.

Saint-Etienne are due to face Red Star at the Stade Jean-Bouin, which is adjacent to Paris Saint-Germain's Parc des Princes, on Tuesday in their round-of-16 tie.

However, France's Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has ruled Saint-Etienne fans cannot attend the game due to the risk of violence, citing 10 different incidents in which the Ligue 1 club's hooligan element have been involved over the last two years.

"Football is a public celebration," Saint-Etienne president Roland Romeyer told RMC. "Ask Tours about the last game: things went very well, their board were very happy with the atmosphere.

"That's how I see football. It's not possible to go there without our supporters. I am going to take action, I don't agree. And it would trouble me to declare forfeit. It's a competition that is part of our objectives, but people have to stop treating us as idiots. We'll see on Monday. We're sick of this."

The Interior Ministry's actions are not uncommon in France where several top-flight clubs -- notably Saint-Etienne, Bastia, Lyon, Nice, Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain -- all have a recent history of fan violence.

Rhone derbies between Saint-Etienne and Lyon have often been played without visiting fans present in recent seasons, while it is only recently -- since PSG acted against violent factions of their fan base -- that OM vs. PSG games have been played in front of both sets of supporters.

A group of Saint-Etienne fans rampaged through Nice's Allianz Rivieira in November 2013, ripping out 200 seats and leaving eight people injured, which led to them being banned from attending their club's following three competitive fixtures away from home.

There were running street battles between Red Star fans and supporters of Paris FC before the third-tier derby between the pair in September. Rival factions of PSG hooligans, who have been banned from the Parc des Princes, were blamed for provoking the incident.

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